The Silent Horse
by MZephyr
Summary: RanmaxAkane. Starts out darkly. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.
1. Silence Falls

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

**WARNING**. If you truly wish to avoid any and all spoilers, then skip this note and jump down to "Chapter 1. Silence Falls" below. I know that I, for one, would prefer as a reader to have the following warning.

This story starts off with a dark element. Within this first chapter, there is an attempted rape which is not completed, but which is traumatic. That is the darkest point of the story, but there are gritty elements in later chapters, and a serious tone throughout. It is not a lighthearted romp. If you can manage to get past that, this is a story of slow healing, and growing romance, with a good number of warm moments.

* * *

**Chapter 1. Silence Falls**

The bench across from the train station in Fukuoka was hard. Ranma Saotome shifted around, struggling futilely to find a more comfortable position. With a sigh, he turned halfway around to look at his father Genma, master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes martial arts. They had spent the past several months in China and had returned to Japan only last evening, but their homecoming was far from joyous. It was a bare two weeks ago that Genma had dragged him to a remote valley in China, supposedly for training, and they had both ended up cursed. Now, whenever they were splashed with cold water, his father would turn into a panda bear and he himself would change gender and become a girl. Only hot water could restore their true bodies.

At the moment, though, they were both in their true forms. The older man sat at an angle, presenting mostly his back to Ranma's view while he busily scribbled on a postcard. The boy regarded his father with little favor. It was a long time since he had felt much respect for Genma, outside of the old man's martial arts skills, and what feelings remained had taken a severe beating as a result of his curse. He couldn't help but feel that his pop was preparing to launch some new stupidity to screw up their lives even worse. Anyway, he was bored.

"Who are you writing to, pop?" Ranma asked. Immediately after posing the question, he flinched and waved a hand in front of his face to shoo away a curious bee. It buzzed off in his father's direction.

Genma replied in a deliberately casual tone which dismissed the question as unimportant. "An old friend of mine who lives in Nerima. We trained together at one time, many years ago. We're going to stay with him for a while, and I want to let him know that we're coming."

It sounded reasonable enough, and in another time and place Ranma would probably have accepted this answer, never learning what his father had planned until after they arrived in Nerima. However, in this time and place the bee chose to land on Genma's hand, causing him to drop the postcard as he shook the insect off. Ranma picked the card up to return it to his father, but caught a glimpse of the words, "Bringing Ranma from China." He drew his hand back again before Genma could snatch the card. Looking more closely, those were the only words present aside from the partially completed address which mentioned Tokyo and the first letters of Nerima.

The boy looked up from the card to stare into his father's eyes, his own dark with accusation. "Exactly why do you need to tell your old friend that you're bringing me? Okay, I can see you telling him that you're coming, or that you and I are coming. What I want to know is, why the emphasis on me?"

Genma laughed nervously, a sure sign that he was about to lie. "Heh heh. No reason, boy. No reason at all. It's just that he's never met you, and I want to let him know he's finally going to."

Ranma shook his head. "You're lying, pop." His face darkened as the memories of one too many recent misadventures fueled his anger. "I've had enough of your crap! Now tell me the truth!"

Genma began to sweat. Ever since Jusenkyo, the boy had been growing less manageable. "Well, my friend practices a variation of our martial arts style. I am just informing him that he will be acquiring another student for his techniques. Wouldn't you like to learn them?"

Ranma continued looking his fidgeting father in the eyes. "You're still lying, old man. If that were the reason, we could have visited him any time in the last ten years. I still don't understand why we came back to Japan, instead of looking for a cure to these curses. Okay, Shampoo was chasing us, but we've avoided her so far. We could keep right on avoiding her. So why is going to see this guy more important than looking for a cure?"

Genma's mouth twisted. ‹Damn the ungrateful boy,› he thought to himself. ‹I just know he's going to take this wrong.›

"Well, boy, it's like this. My friend and I are both masters of the Anything Goes school. When we got rid ... er, when we attained our mastership, we agreed that the families, um, the schools, should be united in the next generation."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

Genma chuckled nervously again. "It's, uh, very simple. You have to marry ..."

He didn't get any further. Ranma grabbed the front of his father's gi and twisted, choking off his words. "You think you're going to tell me who to _marry_?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Genma knocked the hand away. "You'll do as you're told, boy! Honor requires that ..."

Again he got no further, biting off his sentence and nearly his tongue in order to dodge a kick which would have taken his head off. The fight lasted less than ten minutes but resulted in considerable property damage. When Ranma finally stood back shakily, his father lay crumpled and unconscious at the base of a wall. A brick wall now badly cracked, with several of its bricks lying on top of and around Genma.

Unnoticed, the crumpled postcard rolled down the street, pushed by an erratic breeze. Ranma did not even know the name of his father's "old friend," the person to whom it was supposed to have been sent. Genma had been interrupted before he had written down that vital information.

Ranma realized that if he wished to escape any further moronic schemes then he had to make plans quickly, before his father woke up again. There was no way that he was going to let the old man pick out a bride for him! The curse he'd been saddled with was horrible enough. His mind shrank from the thought of what sort of girl his idiot father would choose.

What he really wanted was to go back to China, to try to find a cure for the curse. To do so, he'd need money. He'd also have to be careful, so that Genma wouldn't find him. He quickly ransacked his father's pack, but only found forty-five hundred yen and a couple of train tickets for Nerima. He wouldn't be able to do a lot of traveling around China with that.

Briefly Ranma sat back and considered his next step. He wasn't a thief and a fraud like his old man. If he was going to go back to China, he'd need more money first, so he had to find some way to raise it. That meant finding someplace to stay in Japan, where his father hopefully wouldn't look for him. He looked at the tickets again and smiled. The last place the old man would look would be the very city to which he'd planned to take Ranma. Also, Tokyo was a big place, where there might be lots of opportunities.

It would have been suspicious to take one ticket and leave the other, so Ranma took both. He hoped his father would assume that he had taken them to cash them in. He quickly ran back to the docks, then openly asked around for information on ships going to China. After that, he ran back to the train station, trying to avoid drawing attention, and approached the building from the opposite direction. There was no guarantee that his father would be fooled, but at least there was a chance.

A couple of hours later a cursing and penniless Genma Saotome stepped into the surf and changed instantly into a panda bear. They had only just completed this swim in the other direction yesterday! He promised himself that he'd give the dishonorable boy a thorough beating when he finally caught up to the lad.

At that same moment, Ranma was snoring as he leaned back in his comfortable seat aboard the train bound for Nerima.

* * *

Ranma emerged from the Nerima train station to find a light, chill drizzle in progress. He immediately changed to a shorter, buxom girl. He scowled down at his transformed chest, then transferred the scowl up at the clouds as if to blame them for the indignity. With a sigh of resignation, he set off as a female. 

It rained off and on all day, frustrating his attempts to change back to male. Ranma soon found that it would be harder than he expected to find some sort of long term work for a sixteen year old in the big city, especially as a girl and one without a parent to provide permission. His previous experiences in more rural settings proved to be of little guidance in this job search. It was also obvious to him that he would not be able to start looking for a permanent place to live until after he could find a job.

Darkness fell, and Ranma was wet, exhausted, cold and hungry. It was time to spend a little of the money he had taken from Genma and get something to eat. He began to look around for an inexpensive restaurant. Then, as he walked past an alley, a demonic shape suddenly leaped out at him.

Actually, it was only an ordinary cat, but for Ranma that was demon enough. Ever since Genma had put him through the torturous training to learn the neko-ken, Ranma had been deathly afraid of all cats. With a high-pitched scream, the red-haired girl turned and ran in the opposite direction. The cat, possibly out of sheer perversity, gave chase.

Ranma gave no thought to his surroundings, his entire attention instead on escaping the monster behind him. He turned down another alley, running as fast as he could. Without slowing down, he took a moment to look back over his shoulder to see if the creature was gaining on him. Unfortunately, this meant that he didn't see the ladder of a fire escape which had been left hanging down. He crashed into it headlong, and the fire escape won. Ranma slumped to the pavement, unconscious.

* * *

Akane Tendo was hurrying home, carrying a sack of things Kasumi, her oldest sister, had asked her to pick up. She was supposed to have gone out for them earlier, but had forgotten until a little while ago. That was why she was taking a short cut across a part of town she usually avoided. It was slightly run down with an unsavory reputation, but that didn't bother her unduly. She was, after all, a highly skilled martial artist who made mincemeat of a few _dozen_ boys every morning at school. So even if she did encounter a few perverts, who weren't likely to be armed with worse than knives, they'd be the ones to regret the encounter. 

She quickly passed the mouths of several dark alleys, barely glancing down them as she did so. Then her hurrying feet slowed to a stop. _What_ had she seen down that last alleyway? Her mind replayed the image. An aura suddenly blazed around the teenager. Akane dropped her sack and ran back.

* * *

Ranma came to feeling muzzy headed and slow. He was lying on his back, on what felt like pavement. Memory began to return. He stiffened as he remembered the cat which had been chasing him. The neko-ken hovered on the edge of his consciousness, but he fought against it, not wanting to lose himself to it especially when he had only just reawakened. Then he realized that there was something in his mouth. He attempted to spit it out. It wouldn't budge and when he tried to grab it to pull it out, he found that he was unable to move his hands, or his feet. Wondering what was going on, he opened his eyes. 

Tall buildings swam dizzily around him, making him nauseous. Or more likely, nausea was making the buildings dance. Whichever it was, he closed his eyes again. Then he snapped them back open, as more of his present circumstances registered through the haze of pain and sickness.

He realized that he was naked, since he could feel the rough pavement in contact with his skin all along his back. He was naked, and three scruffy young men looked down at him, grinning. Their grins were quite the most disturbing sight he had ever seen. Raising his head slightly, fighting nausea to do so, Ranma saw that he was still female, his nudity making that fact very obvious.

Ranma tried to struggle, achieving nothing. Turning his head to one side, he saw that his wrist was bound with a thick rope. The movement of his head nearly made him vomit, and a wave of weakness passed over him. ‹I have a concussion,› he told himself in rising concern. ‹And why the hell am I naked? Was I injured somehow? But why am I tied down?›

"Well, are you ready to play, little lady?" one of the men asked in a mocking tone. He knelt between the red-haired girl's legs, taking perverse pleasure from the sequence of emotions on her face. His hand reached forward.

Ranma's subconscious stopped suppressing the knowledge of what was going on, allowing him to understand his situation in a burst of terror-filled clarity. He tried struggling hard, hoping to break the ropes holding him, but he felt drained of all strength. Desperately he tried to scream for help, but the gag in his mouth defeated the effort, allowing him no more than a grunt.

Ranma then felt fingers probing him in a place which as a male he should not have. He screamed his hatred of the man between his legs, but little of the sound made it past the obstruction in his mouth. He continued to struggle, to no effect. A blackness of despair swept through his soul. All of his vaunted strength, all of his superb martial arts skill - all of it absolutely meaningless.

He shouted words at himself, trying to boost his confidence, trying to shut out what was happening. ‹I'm a martial artist! I'm the best! I can defend myself against anyone and anything! I ... am ... not ... _helpless_!› He yanked in vain at the ropes, robbed by his injury of the strength he desperately needed. In the back of his mind his imagination responded with dark laughter, as if the universe itself were mocking his proclamation.

Ranma whimpered in humiliated pain as the fingers dug deeper, with no attempt at gentleness, and the man's other hand pawed roughly at his chest. He tried to shut out the thought of what would happen when the fingers were withdrawn. The other men laughed at the sounds that came through the gag, making crude remarks to one another about what they were going to do. Ranma felt fear mounting rapidly to terrible proportions, building on top of the previous fear inspired by the cat. He even prayed that the cat would return and drive him into the neko-ken state, which might give him a chance to slice the ropes and escape.

His attention was drawn back to the beast between his legs by the ominous sound of a zipper. As he looked at his attacker's grinning face, his emotions painted the man as akin to some evil tomcat, inspiring a similar fear. Ranma tried to scream again, but felt his throat closing up in panic, so that no sound at all emerged. His mind felt like it was about to shatter as the man leaned over him. ‹Please, _please_! Somebody! Anybody! Don't let this happen!›

As the first man lowered himself over the thrashing girl, one of the others suddenly went flying past above him. He crashed into a wall beyond with a sickening thud. The other two spun around, and Ranma looked as well. There was a teenage girl standing there, with long black hair, and she was in a martial arts stance. In that moment, she was by far the most beautiful sight that Ranma had ever seen. The two remaining men tried to attack her simultaneously, but with economical blows she soon had them lying in crumpled heaps as well.

When the girl ran over and knelt beside him, Ranma's view of her suddenly disappeared as his eyes filled with tears. It was all he could do not to break down completely. The girl spoke softly, soothingly, as she ripped the gag off and then started working on the knots. "Shh. Shh. It's all right now. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe now." She continued in this vein until she had all of the ropes untied, at which point Ranma curled himself into a ball.

Akane stood back, taking a moment to assess the situation. The other girl's clothing was lying on the ground nearby, undamaged. Apparently, the would-be rapists had taken the time to undress her. There was also a huge pack, presumably belonging to the girl as well. She pondered whether to call the police, knowing that she should. However, crimes of this sort all too often weren't punished nearly as severely as they ought to be, and the girl would likely be victimized a second time by the legal process.

She didn't want to put the distraught girl through such an ordeal. But neither did she wish to let these three hoodlums off without any kind of punishment. That's when she had a wonderfully evil idea. She figured that the three men would be unconscious for a few hours, but she went over to each of them and gave them a few extra blows to make sure of it, in addition to assuring them a great deal of pain when they _did_ awaken. As soon as she could get to a telephone, she would give that pompous but rich idiot Tatewaki Kuno a call and tell him that some fools had attempted to molest _her_, and the location of the alley in which she had left them. She might despise Kuno and his proclamations of love for her, but she could be sure that _he_ would see to it that these three would be punished for such a deed, in ways probably too horrible to describe.

Now to help the girl whose tears were starting to slow. Akane picked up the clothing, noting the boxers with surprise, and carried them over. Quietly, she said, "I have your clothes here. Come on, let's get you dressed, okay?"

Ranma looked up slowly, blinking away tears. He looked at Akane, then very slowly nodded. Akane slipped the boxers over his feet and pulled them up his legs.

While doing so, trying to speak as gently as possible, she said, "My name's Akane Tendo. What's yours?"

Ranma opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

He blinked several times, then tried again. Still there was no sound. He reached up and massaged his throat, but it didn't help. He looked and felt very frustrated.

Akane asked, "Can't you speak?"

Mindful of his splitting headache and the probable cause, Ranma shook his head very slightly.

"Have you been mute for a long time?" Akane asked next.

Ranma shook his head again.

"Is this something that just happened?"

This time Ranma nodded slightly.

"Oh." Maintaining a calm tone, Akane told the girl, "Well, we'll have a doctor look at you as soon as possible. Can you sit up so I can put your shirt on?" She reached down and started to pull Ranma into a sitting position, but this caused the nausea to overwhelm him and he spun around and emptied his stomach on the ground.

He turned back around slowly, then carefully put his hands to both sides of his head, trying to convey the notion that he was in pain and dizzy. He drew a hand back, made a fist, and mimicked hitting himself in the head.

"You were hit in the head?" Akane asked, in order to confirm what the girl seemed to be suggesting. She reached over and her soft touch quickly found a sizeable lump on the other teenager's head.

Once again Ranma nodded in answer, wincing as this caused the wound to bump against Akane's fingertips.

"I see. You probably have a concussion, then. I'll try to be a little more gentle, okay?" Working slowly and carefully, Akane got the shirt, pants and shoes on the girl.

After finishing with the clothes, Akane looked around once more. Grimly she told Ranma, "I've made sure that these assholes won't wake up for a few hours. I've got something better in mind for them then the police. Don't worry, I promise you that they _will_ regret what they tried tonight. In fact, they'll _wish_ that I had turned them over to the police."

Ranma found himself feeling reassured. This girl had answered his prayers and saved him. He would trust that she knew what she was talking about. Besides, he had his own reasons for not wanting to involve the police or the courts. He didn't want to try to imagine what they would make of his curse.

Akane continued, planning what to do next. "I saw your pack. Do you have any place to go? Do you live around here?"

Ranma shook his head no.

Akane smiled. It was a beautiful smile, and Ranma felt himself falling into it. "In that case, would you like to come home with me? You can have a meal, and a hot bath. You'll be safe there. You'll love my big sister Kasumi, and my other sister Nabiki, well, she isn't _too_ bad. Besides us, the only other person is my father, and he's just a big softie. What do you say?"

Ranma gave a small smile of his own and nodded. He tried to stand up, not very successfully, and Akane pushed him back down.

"It's okay," Akane told him. "I'm stronger than I look. I'll carry you." She pulled the massive pack onto her back, then picked Ranma up into her arms and walked out of the alley. A few meters down the street she halted and stooped, standing back up holding the bag she had dropped earlier, dangling it from one hand.

A short time later they stepped through a gate into a yard. Ranma saw a two-story house, set on a piece of property which was fairly large by Tokyo standards. He also caught a glimpse of what looked like a second building, before the corner of the house hid it from view.

A slightly older girl met them at the front door. "Akane, you're finally home! Oh, my! Who is this? What happened?"

"This is my sister Kasumi," Akane gently told the girl in her arms. She then looked back up and responded to her sister's question in tones of fury. "Some men attacked her. Luckily, I got there before they could really get started. I think she has a concussion, and she doesn't seem to be able to speak. Could you get some food in her stomach while I call Doctor Tofu?"

A look of rare anger passed across Kasumi's features. "Yes, of course. Put her down on the couch in the family room, and I'll heat some soup for her."

Akane, still carrying Ranma, walked down the hall and through a doorway. As they entered the room, Ranma saw a man sitting there, reading a newspaper. He appeared to be in his forties, with long hair and a mustache, and was wearing a brown gi. Unable to control his reaction, Ranma cringed as the man looked up and met his eyes. His arms tightened sharply around Akane, and he buried his face in her shoulder. Shame washed over him at behaving in such a manner, but at the moment the fear was stronger than the shame.

Akane saw her father's eyebrows rising up toward his hairline. She tried to reassure the girl. "That's my father, Soun Tendo. He won't hurt you. You're safe, I promise."

Ranma ran his tongue over dry lips. This girl, Akane, was right. He knew that. There was no reason to think this man was any threat. Besides, he was Ranma Saotome! He wasn't tied up, now, and even with a concussion he could defend himself against any attack! So why did he feel afraid?

Akane saw the panic in Ranma's eyes and chewed on her lip for a moment before looking back up at her father. "Daddy, would you mind leaving the room for a while? Kasumi's in the kitchen. She'll explain."

Although most people who knew him would say that Soun Tendo had a tendency to make foolish decisions, he wasn't precisely stupid, and was already getting an uncomfortable feeling about what was going on. Silently he rose to his feet and quickly left the room. Ranma slowly relaxed his muscles.

Akane lay Ranma on a couch, then retrieved a blanket and tucked it around him. Akane once again tried to assure the red-haired girl that she'd be safe, before telling her that she had to make a couple of phone calls. Slipping out of the room, she saw her father leave the kitchen, where he'd presumably been speaking with Kasumi, then vanish down the hall into his bedroom.

She first called Doctor Tofu Ono and carefully explained what had happened, together with the probability that the victim had a concussion. The doctor promised to come over right away. Akane then had a long, tedious conversation over the telephone with Tatewaki Kuno, but felt confident after she hung up that the three assailants would regret the day that they were born. Kuno had promised that they would awaken on a freight ship already out to sea, under a captain who would treat them mercilessly, surrounded by a crew who would regard them as filth. They had been effectively sentenced to hard labor for the next several years, and would learn what it felt like to be helpless against stronger opponents.

Akane returned to the family room with the soup Kasumi had made and began feeding it to Ranma, while Kasumi hovered nearby. Another girl wandered in and was introduced as the third sister, Nabiki. Kasumi took her out into the hall to explain what had happened, making Ranma feel even more bitterly ashamed over the fact that he had been unable to defend himself.

Nabiki felt immensely sorry for the girl, but knew she had no worthwhile experience in the expression of sympathy. She was very much afraid that if she went back into the room, she would say the wrong thing and only make matters worse. She gave Kasumi a practical suggestion to provide pen and paper so that the girl could write in place of talking, then fled back to the sanctuary of her room.

When Ranma finished the soup, Akane took the bowl and spoon back into the kitchen, then returned with a pen and a pad of paper. Kasumi had handed these to her, mentioning that it was Nabiki's idea. Holding the items up, Akane suggested, "If you can't speak, perhaps you can write some things down?"

Ranma nodded eagerly, and gratefully took the pen and paper. He immediately wrote "Thank you!" in large characters, and underlined it several times. Akane smiled, and patted his hand.

Akane then made the point, "We need to know what to call you. What's your name?"

The girl lying on the couch immediately wrote "Ranma." He put the pen to paper to write more, but then stopped. As he had prepared to write the name "Saotome," a towering fury swept across him, making his entire body tremble. It was his pop's fault that he had been running around alone in the first place! It was his pop's fault that he was so scared of cats, which had caused him to knock himself out! It was his pop's fault that he was cursed to turn into a girl! What had nearly happened was his pop's fault! He wanted no more connection to the old man. Looking at the paper again, he wrote, "Just Ranma."

"Ranma, huh?" Akane tested the name on her tongue. "That's sort of an unusual name for a girl, isn't it?"

Ranma shrugged. Now that the immediate danger was past he felt an overwhelming desire to change back to a guy and get rid of this cursed form which had nearly been ... his mind slammed a mental door on that thought. At the same time he felt sudden worry over the reaction he would get from Akane and the others. She had helped him, but what would happen if she found out he was a gender-changing freak? Would she throw him out? He felt safe for the moment and couldn't bear the thought of finding himself outside again, with no idea of where to go. To excuse his fear of leaving, he told himself that he needed to face his fear of still being in this female form. Tomorrow would be soon enough to reveal his curse.

Unaware of his inner debate, Akane gave a small laugh. "Don't worry. It's a fine name. So, where are you from, Ranma?"

He shrugged again, then wrote, "All over."

"What do you mean?" Akane was puzzled.

Tongue protruding slightly between his lips, he wrote, "Traveled. Don't have a home."

Akane was startled. "Goodness! How did you survive? What did you do, traveling all of the time?"

Ranma wrote the word, "Trained." He felt his eyes grow moist, and added, "Martial arts." His vision grew blurry, as he further wrote, "Not that you'd guess."

"Oh, Ranma!" Akane leaned forward and hugged the other girl tightly, squeezing more tears out of the redhead's eyes. "You mustn't blame yourself! The way they had you tied up, there was nothing you could do!"

Ranma turned away, hating the reminder of how helpless he had been. Akane paled, both from regretting what she had just said, as well as her sudden realization that under similar circumstances, she herself might have been equally helpless.

Any further attempts at communication were temporarily thwarted by the ringing of the front bell. Akane hurried out of the room to answer it herself, stopping Kasumi and suggesting that her older sister prepare a place for Ranma to sleep. With a sigh of relief for getting Kasumi out of the way, and a small curse for Doctor Tofu's bouts of insanity whenever he caught sight of her older sister, Akane finally answered the door.

"Hello, Doctor Tofu," she said shyly. "Thanks for coming over. She still can't talk, but she can write. Her name is Ranma, and she doesn't seem to have any family. She's right this way."

Tofu slipped off his shoes and followed the youngest Tendo. Ranma watched the man approach, feeling the terror grip him once more, while Akane introduced the fellow as their family doctor. Cursing himself for his reactions, Ranma steeled himself to accept the doctor's presence. Tofu's gentle bedside manner soon had him feeling a little more at ease, though only slightly. After a brief examination during which he ignored the way the girl flinched away from his touch, Tofu pronounced a verdict of a slight concussion for most of the symptoms.

After giving this diagnosis, Tofu went on. "Now as for this sudden inability to talk, I don't think that has anything to do with the blow to the head, given the location of the wound. I suspect it's due to psychological trauma. It may be that you'll recover by tomorrow morning. If not, then I would suggest that you talk with, or, er, I mean, meet with, a professional counselor. I can recommend a few people if that should prove necessary."

Ranma sighed, then wrote, "Thank you. Hope I don't need that." He then gave a huge yawn.

Tofu nodded and replied, "I also hope you'll recover on your own, and quickly. In the meantime, your experiences have left you very fatigued. I recommend sleep, and then see how you feel in the morning."

Akane suggested, hesitantly, "I had thought she might like to have a hot bath ...?"

Ranma had never wanted a bath more in his entire life. He wanted to scrub the shame away, scrub until the memory of the hands on his body was rubbed out. At the same time, he panicked at the thought of a _hot_ bath. He had suffered too much humiliation already. He was certain now that they wouldn't let him stay once they knew of his curse. Even a cold bath would run the risk of being in a room with hot water. His carefully schooled features revealing nothing of this inner turmoil, all that the other two saw was the red-haired girl shaking her head.

Tofu smiled, although a little puzzled, but took note of Ranma's drooping eyes. "I think that she'd really rather just go to sleep." Ranma sadly nodded his agreement to this. Tofu added, "I'll come by again in the morning, before I go on to my clinic, to see how she's doing. I'm sure that you're going to be fine, young lady."

The doctor picked up his bag and left the room, followed by Akane. As he slipped his shoes back on at the front door, she said, "Thank you so much for coming over, Doctor Tofu. Do you really think she'll recover her ability to speak anytime soon?"

He paused, and looked at her. "I'm not a psychologist, Akane-chan. I hope so, but we'll just have to wait and see. There _is_ a small chance it might be connected to the concussion. I don't think you should leave her alone tonight - if she shows any other unusual symptoms, then please call me at once. Besides, given what happened to her, she probably won't want to be left alone tonight."

Akane nodded. "I understand. I promise that I'll keep an eye on her tonight. Thank you again for all of your help." She watched him step down the walk and waved good-bye as he went through the gate, before finally closing the front door.

On returning to the family room, Akane asked, "Ready to go upstairs to bed?" On receiving a sad nod, Akane helped the redhead to her feet, and lent an arm for support against any lingering dizziness. They slowly made their way up the stairs, where they met Kasumi emerging from the guest room.

"Oh, good, there you are Akane," she remarked cheerfully. "I've made up a futon for our guest, and left some of your pajamas on it since I couldn't find any in her pack. In fact, there was a distinct lack of feminine garments, with several pairs of boxer shorts instead." Kasumi shook her head over the girl's eccentric choice of underclothes. "I'm afraid that you'll have to bring the pack upstairs for her. When I tried to lift it, I couldn't."

Akane looked toward the guest room, considering options. Rather abstractedly, she replied, "That's okay, oneechan. I'll bring it up in a few minutes. By the way, she's able to write things, and her name is Ranma." Reaching a conclusion, she continued more firmly, "I think it will be better if we put her futon in my room tonight. She shouldn't be left alone."

Ranma turned his head to regard the girl whose rescue and kindness had caused her to achieve nearly angelic proportions in his eyes. The idea of spending the night in her bedroom, when she had no idea that he was really a guy ... there was no way that he was going to do that. He began shaking his head violently, causing another wave of dizziness to sweep over him.

"Why not, Ranma?" Akane wanted to know, then shook her own head at her thoughtlessness. "Oh, here, come on into the room and sit down so you can write."

After sitting down on the futon, Ranma took the pad and wrote, "Sleep here!"

Akane put her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with sleeping in my room?"

Ranma shook his head again, then wrote, "Not right. Shouldn't be in your room."

Sounding a little exasperated, Akane replied, "I don't mind. You have my permission, okay?"

Ranma wrote, "No. Your room. Won't sleep there."

Akane blew her breath out sharply with her lower lip protruding, causing her bangs to flutter. There was no way she was going to allow herself to lose her temper under the circumstances. "Very well, Ranma. But you have a concussion, and you are _not_ sleeping alone tonight. Kasumi?" she called to her sister, standing nearby. "Would you help me make up another futon in here, for me? I'll sleep in here tonight."

"Of course, Akane," Kasumi answered firmly, almost sternly. "You're quite right that Ranma-san shouldn't be alone tonight." She walked over to the closet and began pulling more things out.

Ranma wrote furiously, "I'll be fine! You don't have to stay with me!"

Akane read, then snorted. "Too bad. I'm staying anyway."

Ranma's eyes flashed, but suddenly he felt too weary to argue any further. He pulled off his outer clothes, leaving himself in boxers and a t-shirt. He lifted the pajamas for a moment, studying them disdainfully. He put them on the floor, lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. Almost immediately, he found that he had trouble keeping his eyes open any longer.

Akane watched with troubled eyes as the other girl fell asleep. Once she heard light snores coming from the futon, she headed downstairs and brought the heavy pack up, then went to her own room to change into pajamas. When she returned, she brought some homework back with her. Akane spent the next couple of hours working on assignments, before she finally turned off the light and crawled onto her own futon.

* * *

Akane awoke from a sound sleep, wondering what had disturbed her. She looked groggily at the glowing digits of a nearby clock. ‹Two in the morning! Ugh! I have school tomorrow. I have to get up in just a few hours.› 

It was then that she noticed small whimpering and rustling sounds nearby. She suddenly remembered their guest, and quickly got up and turned on the light. Ranma was thrashing around under the blankets, making small plaintive noises.

Akane knelt down and grabbed the redhead's arms. "Ranma! Ranma! Wake up! You're having a nightmare!" She tried gently shaking her, but it seemed to have no effect. Stronger shakes were equally ineffective. Steeling herself, Akane slapped Ranma lightly across the face. The girl's eyes flew open.

Ranma emitted a wordless, almost inaudible, noise and threw his arms around Akane, hugging her tightly. Akane felt the other girl trembling violently. "Were you ... dreaming? About what happened? Almost happened?" Akane asked, quickly correcting herself. She felt Ranma nod her head jerkily, where it was buried against her chest.

Akane held Ranma until she felt the tremors slow down, then grabbed her own pillows and put them beside Ranma's. Lying both of them down with Ranma's back to her, Akane wrapped her arms around the other girl and held her close. Too upset to protest, Ranma relaxed into the comforting embrace. Before long he was asleep once more, and Akane soon followed him into slumber.

* * *

When Ranma awoke the next morning, he had never felt so peaceful. With a sudden shock, he realized that someone's arms were around him. He sat bolt upright, looking down at the girl with the long black hair and the beautiful smile, who was looking back at him. 

"So, you're finally awake," Akane said merrily. "Good. Because I need to get up. I'm going to skip my jog, because I want to be here when the doctor stops by to see you. But then I'm afraid that I'll have to get ready to go to school."

At first Ranma stared at her, bewildered. But then memory returned, and his eyes closed in pain as he remembered _everything_ about the previous day. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound emerged.

Akane bit her lip. "You still can't talk?"

Ranma shook his head sadly. Looking around, he spied the pad and pen and picked them up. He wrote, "Guess not," and showed it to her.

"I'm really sorry, Ranma," she told him. "Still, we'd better get up and get dressed. We need to get downstairs for breakfast, and Doctor Tofu will probably be here soon to look you over once more."

At the word "breakfast" Ranma's stomach gave a loud grumble, and the thought "Food!" roared through his mind. While Akane left for her own room to find some clothes, Ranma pulled some out of his own pack and dressed quickly. He found his way downstairs and to the family room, but then stopped short. The older man, the girls' father, was there reading a newspaper. Ranma trembled, but then kicked himself mentally. Stiffening his resolution, he walked into the room and knelt at the low table. Only a slight tremor in his hands betrayed his emotional state at being so close to the man kneeling across from him.

The other girl he had seen briefly, Nabiki, was already there sipping some coffee, her eyes half closed. Kasumi came in from the kitchen wearing a cheerful expression, and put some food down in front of their guest. "Here you go, Ranma! Eat as much as you want, I made plenty."

Ranma needed no further encouragement, and dug in. The food was delicious. Akane entered the room just as the last of it disappeared, and all three girls stared at the scary sight of how rapidly the breakfast had vanished into that ravening maw. Kasumi shook herself free of the spell, left the room, and returned with a much larger amount.

"Well, at least you've got a good appetite," Akane commented dubiously, as she knelt down to her own breakfast. Ranma's ears blushed pinkly, and he made an effort to slow down.

Akane turned to her father and announced, "Daddy, I don't believe anyone told you last night. Her name is Ranma. She was able to write some things down, and she told us her name that way.

Soun lowered his newspaper and stared in surprise. "Ranma? That's an ... unusual name for a girl. But what's even more surprising is that I have a very good friend who has a son named Ranma. Genma Saotome. He and I trained together when we were younger." He looked off into space thoughtfully. "I haven't seen Saotome in years upon years. Still, I expect to see him again one day."

Ranma barely controlled his own surprised reaction, lowering his eyes to his breakfast to conceal it. Of all the places to end up! Apparently this was the old friend to whom his father had referred, and one of these girls was the one he was supposed to marry! He tried not to blush at the thought of marrying Akane, of waking up beside her every day as he had that morning, of seeing her beautiful smile for the rest of his life. Perhaps he had been overly hasty to run away from his father?

Who was he kidding, though? No girl would ever want him so long as he had this curse, not even someone as wonderful as Akane. He angrily crushed the thought, determined not to torment himself with what-ifs and might-have-beens. On the other hand, this did bring up the matter of his curse. He couldn't justify hiding it any longer.

Before he could act on this impulse, the bell rang. Kasumi turned to go answer the door, but Akane jumped to her feet and ran out ahead of her sister, announcing that she would get it. She opened the door to find Doctor Tofu standing there, a slightly larger smile than usual on his face.

"Hello, Akane-chan!" he said chirpily. "And how is Ranma this morning?"

Akane narrowed her eyes, wondering why his behavior seemed a little strange even before he'd laid eyes on Kasumi. "Ranma seems better this morning, physically at least. She still can't talk though."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound good," Tofu replied, continuing to smile. "I suppose that I'd better have a look at her."

As Akane stepped aside to let the doctor enter, she asked, "Um, what's wrong with you, Doctor Tofu? You seem a little ... um ..."

Tofu smiled cheerfully in her direction, not that he had stopped smiling so far. "I took a little something to help me stay calm when I came over this morning," he told her. "It seems to be working so far."

Akane snorted. "If you were any calmer, you'd be floating above the ground. Oh well, come on." She led him back to the family room, keeping an eye on him as if afraid that he might lose his way.

Tofu's manner became a little more serious as he knelt beside Ranma, ignoring her uncontrolled flinch. It helped that Kasumi was out of sight behind him. He examined the bump on the girl's head, looked into her eyes and ears, and performed other similar tests. He leaned back and declared, "You seem to be much better this morning, Ranma-san. However, I understand that you still cannot speak?"

Ranma frowned, and shook his head negatively.

Tofu pursed his lips and replied, "Well, I am sorry to hear that. I still feel certain the cause is psychological, rather than organic. Given the location of the blow, if it _were_ the cause, I would expect to be seeing other problems, er, symptoms as well. If Akane or Nabiki could stop by my clinic after school, I'll give her a list of counselors I think might be able to help you."

"I'll stop by to get it," Akane promised.

The medical examination having ended, Tofu relaxed once more. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you, Ranma?" the doctor asked in a sing-song voice. He was already turning in preparation to stand.

Ranma took a deep breath, and nodded. Surprised, Tofu sank back to his knees. The redhead pulled out her pad and wrote on it, then tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Kasumi. It read, "Hot water please?"

Kasumi looked up from the paper to the girl across the table. "You want me to bring you some hot water?" she asked in confusion.

Ranma nodded and gave the older girl a pleading look. Still puzzled, Kasumi stood up and went into the kitchen. Ranma started writing again.

Kasumi returned and placed a kettle on the table in front of Ranma. He reached out and felt the side of it. A little _too_ hot, but that was okay, he wanted to tell them some of the story first in order to prepare them. He tore the sheet off and handed it to Akane.

Akane read aloud. "Two weeks ago, I was in the Bayankala mountains, in the Qinghai province of China. In a remote valley called Jusenkyo, which was supposed to be a legendary training ground."

Soun interrupted her. "The legendary ground of accursed springs?"

Ranma stared, then wrote quickly. He shoved the pad in front of the older man, who read, "You've heard of it?"

Soun cleared his throat. "Er, well, that is to say, my old master mentioned it once. There was supposed to be some sort of horror associated with it, but he never explained."

A volcanic fury boiled up in Ranma, threatening to erupt. Everyone drew back slightly, as if sensing this. If Genma Saotome had been in the room, it might well have been his last moment on earth. ‹Pop knew! They had the same master, so he must have heard the same thing! And he took me there anyway! If I ever see him again, I'll kill him!› He struggled to get himself back under control.

Akane gave Ranma a concerned glance, then resumed reading. "The floor of the valley has many pools of water. I was sparring with someone there, and was knocked into one of the pools."

Ranma wrote rapidly, then tore off another sheet and handed it to her. Akane continued. "Anyone who falls in one of the pools is cursed." She stopped and looked up. "Cursed? What are you talking about?" Ranma's mouth flattened, and he pointed at the paper again. Akane flushed and looked back down at the words he had written.

"Most of the curses seem to change a person into an animal." Akane stopped and looked up again. "Oh, come on! You don't expect us to believe this, do you?" Ranma pointed again, and Akane gave a heavy sigh.

"In order to become human again, they need to have hot water poured on them. But cold water will always change them into an animal again. They know they're human, but they have an animal's body."

Everyone was now staring at Ranma. Nabiki asked mockingly, "So if we pour cold water on you, you'll turn into a duck or a rabbit or something?"

Ranma shook his head. He wrote more and handed it to Akane. She read, "It was raining yesterday. Cold water, remember? This is my cursed form."

Akane looked up. "I don't understand. You're not an animal."

Ranma gazed at her sadly. He wrote two more sentences, then handed the paper to her. Akane looked at it, then looked up wide-eyed. "No," she whispered. "That's not possible."

Tofu reached over and plucked the paper from Akane's unresisting fingers. With a bemused glance at the paper, he read aloud for everyone else's benefit. "My curse turns me into a girl. I'm really a boy." As Tofu said the final words, Ranma lifted the kettle and poured it over his head.

Reactions of shock sped around the table as Ranma transformed into a boy in front of their eyes. Tofu put a hand on the floor to steady himself. Nabiki dropped her coffee into her lap and started cursing. Soun's hands spasmed, tearing his disregarded newspaper in half. Kasumi voiced a weak, "Oh my!"

But the only one Ranma was watching was Akane. She scooted backward and her eyes changed. He'd seen that look on her face before, and it only took him a moment to remember when. She'd looked like that last night, as she attacked the men in the alley. The thought hit him like a hammer - in her eyes, he was now no better than they were. He jumped to his feet and ran outside, throat closing up in agony.

"My God!" Nabiki was saying. "She ... he ... really meant it. He really does have a magical curse."

"He's a boy," Akane stated flatly. Then in rising tones, "He's a perverted boy! I can't believe that I slept in the same bed with him last night!"

Standing outside, just out of sight, Ranma heard this sentiment and felt his heart rip. Looking around wildly, he saw an open window on the second floor, and realized it must belong to the guest room. In a single leap he was on the sill, and then climbed inside.

Back downstairs, Kasumi was speaking in a strained voice. "Akane, you surely can't blame him for this. Do you think he would have wanted such a curse? Is it his fault that those men attacked him last night? Does the fact that he's a boy make what happened to him any less terrible? As I remember it last night, he _refused_ to sleep in your room. You were the one who insisted on joining him."

Akane flushed. "I didn't know he was a boy. He should have told us!"

Between the drugs he had taken and the shock of seeing Ranma's curse, Tofu found himself in a strange mental state. Kasumi's words seemed to come from a great distance, barely befuddling him. He wondered for a moment if he could find some combination of drugs and pressure points to reproduce his current state of mind.

For the sake of his patient, he quickly turned to the more pressing concern of supporting Kasumi's reprimand of her sister. "Akane, think about what he'd gone through! His entire world must be turned upside-down by this curse, and then the trauma of last night. You can't expect him to have made logical decisions like that! I'm surprised he could bring himself to tell us this morning. If you'd gone through what he did, do you honestly think you could have done any better?"

Akane bit her lip and looked down. She had a great deal of respect for both Kasumi and Doctor Tofu, and she thought hard about what they were saying. Boys in general might be perverts who wanted to take advantage of girls, but Ranma had been victim, not perpetrator. What had happened to him had been worse than anything anyone had ever done to her.

There were other forces at work in Akane's mind whose existence she herself did not suspect. She had already formed a bond with Ranma. She had rescued him, fed him, cared for him, even if she hadn't known he was a 'him' at the time. He had needed her, and she had answered that need. On a level below conscious realization, his future welfare had become important to her.

Akane looked up at a sound from overhead, and made the intuitive leap that Ranma was putting things back in his pack in preparation to run off. If he did, he probably wouldn't get the help that he clearly needed. She might never see him again, and would be left wondering if he had been able to recover. Guilt started to stab at her, that it was her words which were driving him away. Making up her mind quickly, Akane jumped to her feet and ran upstairs.

She entered the room just in time to see the boy settling his monstrous pack on his shoulders. Akane cried out, "Wait, Ranma! Don't go!"

Ranma shook his head and moved toward the window. Akane reached out and grabbed his arm. "No, please. I ... it was the shock. I spoke without thinking. Don't go."

Ranma shook his arm free, then looked around and spied the paper and pencil with which Akane had been doing her homework the previous night. He stepped over and picked them up, then wrote, "Last night, you saved me. This morning, you see me the same way as those men. I can't stay and see that in your eyes."

Akane read this then looked at him, overlaying his features with her memory of the red-haired girl from last night. He might be a boy, but he wasn't _just_ a boy, not anymore. With his curse, he would be able to understand - as of last night, far too well! - a female's perspective on the behavior of immature, hormonally addled males. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Like I said, you caught me by surprise. I didn't think. I ... just reacted. I, uh, I don't _really_ believe you'd ever treat any girl like that. I mean, after all, with your curse you can understand how a girl feels. In a way no other men can."

Ranma looked at her and scowled, causing Akane to swallow hard as she wondered what had prompted it. He wrote furiously for a moment, then handed her the paper. "Curse doesn't stop me. Honor does!"

"You mean because it wouldn't be honorable to act like that?" Akane asked him. Ranma nodded. Akane frowned and looked aside. "I've known other boys who talk big about honor, but who wouldn't hesitate to think of girls that way."

Ranma wrote again and handed it to her. "They don't understand honor."

He wrote some more. "Last night, I tried not to stay in the same room with you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my curse. I was scared." He scowled some more as he wrote the word "scared," but it was true enough, and he wanted to make her understand. To emphasize the point, as much for himself as for her, he underlined the word.

Akane breathed out, releasing some more of her tension. She knew that she was incompletely reconciled to his presence, but refused to let it show. She reached out a hand, and laid it on his arm. "I understand. Ranma? Please stay. At least until you have somewhere else to go. I ... trust you."

Ranma smiled crookedly, as if he knew she wasn't being entirely honest, but he didn't call her on it. He looked her in the eyes for a long couple of minutes, debating. When he made up his mind, Ranma shrugged the pack off of his shoulders and set it on the floor, then bowed deeply to her. Akane blushed, but returned the bow. Together they left the room, and returned to the breakfast table.

"Ranma will be staying for a while," Akane announced as they knelt back down.

"Oh, good," Kasumi responded. "It will be nice to cook for someone who enjoys his food so much."

"How long?" Nabiki wanted to know.

Soun spoke up. "Do you have any family, Ranma?" He frowned when the boy shook his head. "Seeing as how you really are a boy ... do you have any connection to Genma Saotome after all?"

Ranma thought about the fact that he never wanted any connection with Genma Saotome, ever again. He shook his head once more.

"Do you have any idea at all where you can go?" the Tendo father inquired. Ranma just shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head negatively again.

"Well, what have you been doing with yourself all of this time?" Soun asked.

Ranma spotted the pad and pen where he'd dropped them earlier, and wrote. "Traveling. Training in martial arts. I'm the best!"

Akane hmmphed and scowled when her father read this aloud. Soun shook his own head, unsure how to handle the situation. Finally he said, "I suppose that you can stay with us for a time. Perhaps we should enroll you in the local high school? What grade are you in?"

Tofu spoke up, once again carefully avoiding looking in Kasumi's direction, although his smile was on the goofy side and he waved a finger through the air as he made his points. "I think it might be better for Ranma to avoid contact with too many people too soon. We should see what his therapist says once he has one, but he should probably wait at least a couple of weeks before attending school. He can take the time to gradually familiarize himself with the area and get accustomed to meeting people. He also needs time to get used to dealing with his handicap, in case he doesn't recover his ability to speak soon."

"We could still enroll him," Nabiki said. "Akane or I could bring assignments home for him, for a small fee, until he's ready to start going to school. Like daddy asked, what grade are you in, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma wrote, "I'm sixteen. I was in middle school last. I would have started high school this year, if I was still in school."

"I'll stop by the office today," Nabiki told him. "We'll see if we can't get you into the same class as Akane, so she can help you catch up. And I'll only charge you one thousand yen for this service."

Ranma looked pained. "I haven't got very much money," he wrote to her.

"Then you'd better not expect too many favors from me," Nabiki responded seriously. She turned to her younger sister. "Akane, if you're ready, then we'd better be leaving."

Akane looked over at the clock and nodded. She touched a napkin to her lips then ran upstairs, followed more sedately by Nabiki. They came back downstairs carrying school bags and wearing rather unflattering uniforms. Kasumi handed each of them a bento. With a last good-bye, they slipped on their shoes and left. Tofu took this as his cue, and made his good-byes as well.

Soun cleared his throat. "So, son. If you've been training in martial arts, perhaps you'd like to go out and have a look at our dojo?"

Ranma's eyes lit up. These people had their own private dojo? He nodded his head enthusiastically, his excitement overriding the nervousness he felt at going off somewhere alone with the man. The two of them stood and went outside, only to be met by a crack of thunder and a brief downpour. Ranma hung his head, but his desire to see the dojo exceeded his concern over his gender change. They entered the building and Ranma gazed around appreciatively.

Ranma bowed to Soun Tendo, then to the dojo's shrine, before beginning a complex kata. Soun watched the girl. ‹No, think of him as a boy,› he told himself. Soun felt a vague sense of familiarity nagging at him. The young man's movements were reminiscent of some of the Anything Goes kata which he himself had taught not so many years ago, and he could have sworn that he had seen something very similar to it once upon a time. Seeing that the girl ... boy ... knew what he was about, and with a last smile for the grace he was displaying, Soun went back inside to return to his newspaper.

The comfortable familiarity of martial arts practice acted as a soothing balm for the raw wounds in Ranma's mind. He ignored his presently female body, and focused tightly on the kata he was performing. It still seemed bizarre that the place he had tried so hard to avoid when he ran from his father, was precisely the place where he had ended up. He wondered once more which of the three girls he was supposed to have married, and what he might have done had it turned out to be Akane. With a grimace, he remembered the ... unhappiness ... she had still exhibited at the end, over the discovery that he was male.

He wondered how long he would stay. Whether the Tendo's would ever discover who he really was. If he would ever be able to speak again. Eventually he ran out of unanswerable questions, and pictured once more a beautiful smile, longing to see it again. His lips curved up into a smile of their own, as he hoped that he'd have the chance.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Minor spoilers ahead, to provide a little reassurance if you want it.

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If you didn't read the warning at the top earlier, you might go back and read it now. After reading the first chapter, there are no spoilers left in that warning, but it does provide a good additional summary statement.

Although this is an alternate universe story, I will not be retelling the entire history of the manga. There will be thirteen chapters. I intend to get as far as dealing with both Happosai and Ukyo before wrapping up. At the end of the story, the most important tangles should be reasonably resolved and the characters set on acceptable courses.

I promise that Ranma _will_ recover, from the point of view of self confidence and so forth, though I make no promises about whether he'll remain mute or regain the ability to talk. He will reach a point where he'll be able to be happy. On the other hand, he will have a less innocent and carefree personality, less willing to accept, or forgive, inappropriate behavior.

Also, a note for those who are aware that I usually treat Ryoga's character pretty negatively in most of my stories (when he appears). Ryoga _will_ make a fairly poor showing at first, just as he does in the manga. However, in this story, I intend to redeem his character by the end. I will also add that Genma will eventually return to the story, although not for some time aside from brief cameos, and that Ranma's current opinion of Genma is being negatively influenced by what happened - Genma is not as much to blame as he is being painted from Ranma's point of view.

I believe that the medical term for Ranma's condition is psychological aphonia. However, I do not have a background in psychology or related fields, and I make no pretense that my handling of his condition or description of treatment has any correspondence to reality.


	2. The Horde Vanquished

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 2. The Horde Vanquished**

Akane was still fuming as she marched through the gate of her home. Kuno had been insufferable at school today, fawning over her due to the "attack" which she had supposedly endured, and expecting her gratitude for dealing with the assailants. She _had_ been grateful, and expressed it by knocking him only half as far as usual. However, if he made one more comment suggesting that she call him for an escort whenever she went out at night, she swore that she'd kick him all the way to Hokkaido.

She stomped up the stairs to her bedroom to change out of her school uniform. By the time she came back out again, clutching a sheet of paper containing the contact information for several therapists, she had calmed down enough to sound like only one elephant instead of the whole herd. Even as upset as Kuno had made her, she had remembered to stop by Doctor Tofu's clinic on the way home to pick up this information. After peeking in the guest room and family room, and knocking on the door of the furoba, Akane went into the kitchen. At this point she lost the last of her bad temper. Kasumi was churning a batch of homemade ice cream.

"Ooh, ice cream! I can't wait to have some," Akane declared eagerly.

Kasumi smiled at her little sister. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait, at least until it's ready. But don't worry, you'll get your share." Her expression grew more somber. "I thought that I'd prepare it as a treat for Ranma. He was sitting out by the koi pond earlier, looking very depressed, poor boy."

"Speaking of Ranma, where is he?" Akane asked. "I have something for him, but I don't seem able to find him. He's not out by the pond now."

Kasumi answered solemnly, an expression of concern on her face. "He's out in the dojo practicing. He's been out there almost all day, except for that time he was sitting by the pond. I believe he's trying to exercise so hard that he can't think about anything else."

"Oh." Akane felt a little nonplused at the thought of their guest using _her_ dojo. On the other hand, Ranma _had_ said that he was a martial artist, so it really wasn't very surprising, was it? Even though he couldn't be anywhere near her level, Akane decided that she shouldn't begrudge him the use of the dojo.

She thanked Kasumi and started to step out the door, but then halted and stepped back. "Oh yeah. Doctor Tofu gave me something to give to you." Akane pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to her older sister. She watched in curiosity for a moment, but when Kasumi made no immediate move to open the message, the younger girl left the room once more.

When Akane reached the open door of the dojo and saw Ranma, she stopped and stared in honest awe. He was flying gracefully through a kata at unbelievable speed. Almost literally flying. He was making huge acrobatic leaps, bouncing off of the walls and even the _ceiling_! It was an incredible sight.

Becoming aware of his spectator, Ranma judged his next long jump to bring him to the floor just a couple of meters in front of Akane. Catching her eye with his, he deliberately bowed to her. Startled, Akane reacted without thinking, bowing in return. This brought a smile to Ranma's face. He walked over to a nearby bench, picked up a towel lying there, and used it to mop the sweat from his forehead and neck.

Ranma had stripped off his outer shirt for his workout, leaving only a sleeveless t-shirt covering his torso. Akane found herself studying his back, and the bare muscles rippling along his arms. She flushed, dropping her eyes from the sight, unable to credit what she'd been thinking. Not been thinking. She couldn't believe that she was actually _looking_ at a boy. Why would she want to do that? It occurred to her, though, that this was the first boy she had met since starting high school whom she felt even marginally able to trust.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Akane stepped into the dojo and walked over to join Ranma. She held the list of recommended therapists out to him, and said, "Doctor Tofu prepared this for you. It has the names, telephone numbers and addresses of several counselors that he thinks might be able to help you."

Ranma snorted, and looked angry. He picked up the small pad lying on the bench and wrote, "I can deal with what happened. Don't need to talk about it."

Akane frowned then shook her head. Doctor Tofu had warned her he might be in a state of denial, might try to procrastinate, but that it was important to start dealing with the trauma. "Ranma, you can't talk at all! If you don't get someone to help you work through what happened, you may never speak again. Is that what you want?"

The boy looked absolutely furious, but Akane faced him down, giving no ground. At last his face collapsed into despair and he cast his eyes down.

Akane had helped him then. Now she thought he needed more help. Perhaps he did. In truth, he had no idea how to recover his power of speech. Maybe he did need someone who knew what he was doing, someone who could help him figure out how to fix that. Reluctantly, Ranma held his hand out, and Akane handed him the piece of paper. He looked up when she cleared her throat.

Akane pointed at the paper. "These three with the red marks are the ones Doctor Tofu says would be best for you," she told him. "He says they all have experience with gender identity issues as well as sexual assault. He also said to tell you that he knows you're not confused about your gender, but that he thought such experience would be beneficial to them in handling your case due to your curse."

Ranma nodded reluctantly, then folded the paper up and put it in his pocket.

Akane added, "Nabiki got the school administrators to agree to admit you into our school. She stayed after to finish up your registration and collect the books you'll need. She'll be bringing them home with her."

Ranma nodded once more to show that he understood, although the way that his mouth twisted Akane could guess that he wasn't particularly thrilled with this news.

She didn't have any other pressing things to discuss with him, so Akane turned the conversation to a more interesting subject. "That kata you were doing looked pretty amazing. You know, you might just be good enough to give me a challenge. It's been a long time since I had anyone to really push me. Not since the last of Daddy's students left. Would you like to spar?"

Ranma stared at her blankly, feeling poleaxed by this statement and request. Several thoughts flitted swiftly through his head in sequence. First and foremost was, ‹I can't hurt Akane - she rescued me!› This was followed by the disdainful idea that anyone, especially a girl, could think she had skills comparable to his. On the other hand, it occurred to Ranma that without his pop, he _was_ going to need a sparring partner, and Akane's father hadn't shown any inclination earlier. For that matter, it occurred to him uneasily that it might not be safe for him to spar with a man at this time. Not safe for the other man, that is. Was it possible Akane might be good enough for that, even if there wasn't any chance a girl could be close to his level or his pop's?

Finally an image flashed through Ranma's mind of Akane fighting with his attackers. With it came the realization that she _must_ be able to defend herself, a fierce determination that she should never risk facing what had almost happened to him. Not if he could help it.

When he reached the end of these thoughts, Ranma looked at Akane grimly and nodded his agreement to her request. Akane was puzzled by his expression but shrugged it away. She ran off to change into her gi, smiling happily as she went.

While she was gone, Ranma debated the wisdom of his decision while also thinking back over his reactions to her request. Genma would revile him mercilessly if he knew that his son was teaching martial arts to a girl. But then again, Ranma no longer cared what his father did or thought about anything, as he had no intention of ever seeing the man again. The boy firmly pushed aside any further thought of his father.

The more he thought about it, the more Ranma realized that all of his reactions, all other considerations, faded in the face of one image. An image of Akane fighting off attackers in some alley. Soun Tendo wasn't going to let him stay here forever. He had to be certain before he left that Akane would always be able to defend herself against _any_ threat. That was more important than his father's opinions, more important than his own gut-churning desire not to hurt her, more important than _anything_. He might hate the thought of how Akane would have to suffer in the near term, at his own hands no less, but that was of _no_ consequence when held up against the alternative. The sharp, exposed edges of his own spirit demanded this sacrifice of him.

With that point settled, Ranma faced the reality of fighting Akane, thinking over what would happen. As he did so, another image presented itself to him, the way Akane had looked at him that morning when she had learned he was a boy. He abruptly felt nauseated by the idea of attacking her as a male. With sudden resolve Ranma stepped outside and grabbed the hose attached to a faucet on the exterior of the dojo. One quick spray later, and he reentered the dojo as a female while thinking furiously over which moves would best test Akane's current capabilities.

Akane was startled to find Ranma's girl form waiting for her when she returned to the dojo. "Why did you change into a girl?" she asked curiously.

Ranma gave an irritated grunt. Going over to the bench, he picked up his pad again and wrote briefly. When he handed the paper to Akane, she read, "Won't attack you as a man."

Akane felt a flare of temper, but she ground it back down again. It occurred to her that he was right. Probably not for whatever reasons he had in mind, of course. But if he attacked her as a boy, she might not be able to help lumping him in with all of the idiots at school, which would be unpleasant. That wasn't what she wanted, right now, when they sparred.

"Okay," she told him, conceding the point graciously. Or at least outwardly so. "I guess you might be right. Now get ready, because I won't go easy on you." She set herself into her initial stance.

Ranma smiled, but did not otherwise seem to prepare himself for combat. His legs were slightly spread, and his arms were hanging loosely. With a growl of frustration that he either didn't know what he was doing or wasn't taking her seriously, Akane attacked.

Ranma flowed out of the way of the punch she launched, and Akane folded over a rock-hard fist which struck her in the gut and bounced back in a blur of speed. She dropped to her knees, gasping, and Ranma stepped back until Akane was able to stand again.

This time Akane gave Ranma a look tinged with greater respect, and told herself to never again underestimate an opponent based on his or her stance. With much greater wariness, Akane moved in to attack once more. To her shock, Ranma was able to dodge or block everything she threw. Before she was able to register what was happening, a strike on her elbow numbed her lower arm, leaving her unable to block the kick which sent her skidding across the floor.

The next several minutes were incredibly frustrating, and very humiliating. Akane Tendo, the best martial artist in Nerima (or so she had thought) was handled with an ease she had not experienced from any opponent in years. She was amassing an interesting collection of bruises, and had yet to land a single strike on Ranma. With all of her remaining strength she punched once more, only to watch Ranma dodge and to feel her fist go through the wall. A moment later the edge of Ranma's hand stopped with the lightest of impacts on the back of Akane's neck.

She sank to her knees in dismay. Ranma was not merely skilled, not just better, he was _much_ better than herself. And he was a boy! It didn't matter that he currently wore a girl's body. She, Akane Tendo, heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes martial arts, had been unable to defeat a _boy_. The humiliation of it ate at her, leavened with a dose of fear. If Ranma should prove to have been less than honest when he said he would never treat girls _that_ way, she would be unable to defend herself against him.

Ranma had gone back to the bench for his pad again. He now returned, scribbling. When he reached her, he tore off the sheet and handed it to Akane.

"You're very good," the note read, "Form is a little sloppy. Need to work on that. You depend too much on power. We need to work on form, control, speed."

Akane stared at the words in bemusement. When had she given Ranma permission to critique her martial arts skills? Even if she ought to improve, where did he get the idea that he was qualified to help her? He wasn't any older than she was!

Another piece of paper appeared in front of her eyes. She read, "Your blocks aren't right. Not sure why. Let me see you do a basic kata."

The whole situation felt so unreal that Akane merely nodded, climbing to her feet. She chose one of the very first kata taught to students of the Anything Goes school, and easily fell into its rhythm. Halfway through, Ranma stopped her.

The redhead wrote some more. "Your dad trained you, right? I bet he hasn't trained you much in a couple years. Am I right?"

Akane boiled over, erupting in anger. "It's none of your business how much my father trained me! Who are you to criticize him?"

Unlike almost everyone else, Ranma wasn't bothered by her display of anger. At least not in the dojo. It was rather reminiscent of working with his father. He wrote again, pushing the next note on her insistently. It read, "I'm trying to help, not blame. Answer - was I right?"

Akane hung her head. Feeling ashamed, both for her own sake as well as her father's, she nodded, eyes on the floor, "Yes. He hasn't trained me much since I was thirteen, since ... well, since I started growing up."

Ranma nodded in turn, looking smug because he had guessed correctly. He wrote, "You were shorter then. When you grew, should have adjusted your form. You aim too high. Just a bit. Need to shift to block. Slows you a fraction." The next sheet said, "We can fix that. Start now?"

Akane stared into the deep blue eyes of the girl, almost forgetting for the moment that there was a boy inside. "What makes you think that you're qualified to train me? To help me ... improve?"

Ranma appeared to be getting frustrated with all of the writing, but bent to it doggedly. "I'm the best. Trained hard, every day, for ten years. No holidays, no excuses. Sick, injured, didn't matter." Another sheet followed with, "Last December, certified to teach. Just before left for China. No experience yet. I can help."

Akane looked at him carefully, convinced that he was telling her the truth despite her misgivings. He had made it plainly obvious that she still had things to learn, and there was certainly no hope that her father would take up her training again. Still, the idea of trusting a boy to that degree ...

"I need to think about this, Ranma. I'll let you know later on." With that she turned around, and walked back to the house. Ranma followed her with his eyes.

* * *

Ranma waited several minutes after Akane went in, thinking things over, before returning to the house himself. Kasumi cornered him as soon as he walked through the door, insisting that he make an appointment with one of the therapists on the list. He tried to placate her with a promise to do it later, not wanting to think about it right then, but she was having none of that. Since he could not use the telephone himself, she told him to point to one of the names. He picked one at random, from among the three with the red marks, and then fled while Kasumi made the call for him. Running away changed nothing. She informed him later that his first appointment was set for Friday afternoon.

Kasumi was making other plans that afternoon as well. The note from Doctor Tofu had outlined a series of suggestions given to him by one of the therapists with whom he had spoken. Although Ranma should not be pushed into too much, too soon, neither would it be good for the young man to hide in the house avoiding all contact with other people. Tofu suggested that Kasumi look for a few opportunities, perhaps once a day or so, to have Ranma accompany her somewhere out of the house. Thinking it over, the oldest Tendo daughter decided to invite Ranma to join her on her trip to a small grocer's the next day, for part of her shopping.

Then there was the matter of Ranma's schoolwork. From what he had said, he would have a lot of catching up to do. She intended to insist that Akane help Ranma with this, which might in turn have a positive affect on Akane's own grades. While her younger sister did reasonably well in school, there was always room for improvement. Still, this was unlikely to be sufficient preparation for the boy. Kasumi resolved to spend a few hours each day reviewing material with Ranma herself.

Although Doctor Tofu's and her worries might be chiefly for Ranma, Kasumi was also concerned about her little sister Akane. So far the younger girl seemed to be doing all right around Ranma, though there was still an obvious wariness in her manner where he was concerned. The situation at school was out of hand. No one seemed capable of stopping it and the constant battles had already left scars on Akane, non-physical though they were. Not only was this making it hard for her to trust any boy, but Kasumi had watched helplessly as her youngest sister's temper grew increasingly short. At some point during the day, while Ranma had been relentlessly working out in the dojo, Kasumi had decided to encourage a friendship between the two. After all, they were of an age and apparently both obsessed with martial arts. Such a friendship might be beneficial to both of them.

In consequence, when Akane talked to her older sister after supper about the events in the dojo that afternoon, Kasumi suggested that Akane take Ranma up on his offer. Given that her beloved older sister had voiced approval of the idea, Akane immediately sought Ranma out and suggested they go practice in the dojo. She didn't specifically accept his offer to train her, but that was what he started doing. That first night's session was mostly spent working through a couple of the basic kata, with Ranma making minor adjustments to Akane's form throughout and having her run through them over and over again, until the sweat poured off of her.

As she prepared for bed that night, Akane thought back over how Ranma had held her arms and legs to show her exactly the position he wanted them in. She acknowledged his intuitive wisdom in using his cursed form while training with her. She seriously doubted that she would have been able to accept such contact if he had been male at the time. She gave a little laugh at the workings of her own brain, since she knew intellectually that he was the same person regardless of which body he currently wore.

As she climbed into bed, Akane wondered just how long Ranma would stay with them, and what other changes he would bring into their lives.

* * *

Akane bolted upright from a sound sleep, the noise of the crash which had awoken her still echoing through the silent house. ‹Is there a burglar in the house?› she wondered. She quietly got out of bed, noting absently that the clock read 12:30, not very long after midnight. The noise, whatever it had been, had also awakened Kasumi. She met her older sister in the hall, equally intent on investigating. Both were unsurprised that Nabiki had not joined them. It would take a much louder noise to wake up their middle sister. Either that, or the sound of coins jingling.

There were more noises, quieter, coming from down the hall, from the direction of the guest room. On reaching it, Akane deferred to her sister. Kasumi lightly tapped on the door, hesitant to enter unannounced. Upon opening it they found Ranma, wet and female, scrunched up in one corner with hands wrapped around his knees, and his face tucked into them. He was trembling violently and making odd, whimpering sounds.

Near the futon was a small, overturned table. A shattered vase and some scattered flowers were on the floor, together with a puddle of water. This was evidently the source of the crash they had heard.

"Oh, my," Kasumi exclaimed quietly. "I'd better get that cleaned up. Akane, I think you should see if you can calm Ranma down."

Akane looked up at her big sister, anxiety writ clear across her features. "Um, maybe I should do the cleaning up, while you take care of Ranma? You're much better than me at comforting people."

Kasumi gave Akane a stern look. "Perhaps under other circumstances, but not right now. This is almost certainly about yesterday, and you're the one who helped him then. Yours would be the most comforting presence possible at this moment. Now, are you going to refuse to help him just because you know he's a boy?"

Akane looked down ashamed. Without another word she walked over and sat down beside Ranma, putting her arms around the red-haired girl. With a shock she saw that Ranma was crying heavily with huge heaves, though almost silently except for those small whimpers. She didn't notice when Kasumi left to get a broom and mop.

"What happened, Ranma?" Akane asked softly. "Was it another nightmare?"

Ranma nodded soundlessly. Akane saw no need to ask for details; he was clearly in no state to write any down. Besides, she felt that she could hazard a pretty good guess what the details were likely to be. Akane bit her lip, not sure what she could say that would help.

One idea did occur to her, something that she could _do_. She thought about it for a little, asking herself if she could really go through with it. She had done so last night, but she hadn't known that Ranma was a boy, then. Still, he was currently a girl, and the small sounds coming from his throat were so heartbreaking ...

"Ranma?" she asked hesitantly. "Would you like me to stay here with you tonight?"

This got through to him, and he looked up at her in shock, wide eyes full of tears. He studied her face for a minute, then turned to look back down without giving any indication whether or not he wanted to accept. Finally he gave a little jerk of his head from side to side.

Akane felt frustrated at the difficulty of communicating with him. "Are you saying 'no' because you want to tough it out on your own? Or because you're really a guy and you feel it would be dishonorable to sleep with me? Um ..." Akane blushed deeply. "I mean, beside me."

He turned back to her and mouthed a word. She guessed from the number of syllables that it was "dishonorable."

Akane sighed and held the redhead tighter. "Ranma, you're a girl right now, even if you're still a boy inside, so it's not exactly the same as if I were sleeping beside a boy. I know you won't try anything dishonorable, so I'm okay with it."

Okay, so that was a lie, Akane admitted to herself. However, she was surprised at how close to the truth it was. "I'm the one who offered, and I am serious about it. I think it would help you if I stayed. I want to help. You're helping me, in the dojo. How about letting me help you with this?"

Ranma looked up and studied her face once more, and Akane wondered what he was seeing there. Finally he gave her a broken ghost of a smile, and nodded slightly. She looked over to see that Kasumi had just finished cleaning up the mess, and was in the process of carrying the debris out. Her older sister gave her an approving smile and a nod before she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Akane lifted Ranma in her arms, feeling the way he clutched at her as if he were drowning and she was a life preserver. She gently lay his female body down on the futon, then lay down beside him and pulled the blanket over them both. Ranma settled back against Akane and his trembling slowly quieted. Before long, they both fell asleep.

* * *

Tuesday was a quiet day. Nabiki never discovered that Akane had not spent the previous night in her own bed, and was thus unable to tease her about it. While the two younger Tendo sisters were in school, Ranma accompanied Kasumi to the market. She affected not to notice the way his eyes darted about rapidly, trying to watch everyone at once, or the way he steered them to maintain maximum distance from the other people they passed. Later she helped him to struggle through some of the schoolwork.

That afternoon Akane and Ranma worked out in the dojo. When Soun came home he made a point of sticking his nose through the doorway, clearly checking up on how the boy he had allowed into his house was treating his youngest daughter. The two teenagers pretended not to notice, although Ranma reacted to his discomfort at the man's presence by keeping his back toward the door. Akane somehow discovered a hidden reserve of energy, determined to impress her father, although she failed to recognize her own intention. After several minutes Soun left again, apparently satisfied, and in fact impressed. The pair continued with their training.

Akane was intensely weary when she finally left the dojo at the end of their session. Encountering Kasumi while dragging herself back into the house, she complained about what a horrible slave driver Ranma was. However, Akane was smiling as she said it, and she was humming as she entered the furoba to soak her sore muscles.

When dinnertime arrived, Ranma knelt at the table together with Akane and Nabiki. Knowing who else would be arriving, the boy steeled himself, telling himself that unlike previous meals or earlier in the dojo, this time he would not react. When Soun entered the room, Ranma's careful self control held. Everyone, even Akane, noticed that he did not flinch at the other man's arrival. No one commented on it aloud, but they all took it as a good sign.

Ranma came into the room while Akane was struggling with her homework that evening, waiting impatiently until she finished in order to have another session of training in the dojo. It was beginning to dawn on Akane that Ranma had far more strict ideas about the degree of training required of her than her father had ever demonstrated. She was beginning to wonder just what she had gotten herself into, but was eager to find out.

Her attitude perplexed Ranma to no end. That evening, he stayed late in the dojo after Akane left, chewing over the puzzle. It made no sense for her to act _happy_ during their training sessions, given what he was putting her through. Oh, it would be clear enough if _he_ were the one being trained, say by his father or Akane's dad. But Akane was a _girl_. It had always been an unquestioned fact to him that while girls might play at martial arts, they didn't pursue it as a passion like a guy might. Girls weren't _supposed_ to be martial artists, were they? That's what his pop had always said.

The thought of Genma Saotome made Ranma first snort angrily, then chuckle evilly. He wondered where his father might currently be hunting him, thinking over places they had visited in China. Serve him right if he ran into that crazy Amazon girl. For a few minutes, Ranma entertained himself imagining how such an encounter might go, always to his pop's detriment. But finally, he dropped the diversion and returned to the puzzle at hand. He was beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, his father had been wrong. Was it possible that Akane wanted to be a _real_ martial artist? Could she actually care as much about the art as he did?

He shook his head over this strange notion. Maybe he was just misinterpreting her reactions. He'd just have to continue to watch Akane during training, gathering additional clues until he could figure out the truth. With this resolution, he turned out the lights and left the dojo.

While Ranma struggled with his questions in the dojo, Akane was inside, preparing for bed and dealing with worries of her own. What should she do if Ranma were to have another nightmare that night? It seemed highly likely that he would, and the experience would not only be very upsetting for himself, but might disturb the others in the household as well. Or he might not disturb anyone, and instead be left to suffer alone. Idly she wondered if she would once again find herself holding the red-haired girl through what remained of the night, as she had the previous two nights.

That idea bothered her, Akane admitted to herself, since after all Ranma really was a boy. On the other hand, the last couple of nights when he lay trembling in her arms, it was hard to remember that, or to feel anything other than sympathy and a desire to comfort the "girl." Akane reflected that, were Ranma really the red-haired girl he appeared to be at such times, she would have no qualms at all about holding her through the night. It might even help to keep the nightmares from getting started in the first place.

Akane shook herself as she realized the direction that her thoughts were taking. She wasn't seriously considering letting Ranma sleep in the same bed with her, was she? Of course, they were probably going to end up that way, anyway, if he had another nightmare like the one last night. As long as he wasn't a boy at the time, was it really such a terrible thing? It wasn't like he had even been capable of trying anything perverted last night, the state he'd been in.

Slowly Akane walked over to her window and stared out into the darkness, almost unable to believe she was actually thinking about this. Her, Akane Tendo, renowned boy-hater of Furinkan High, let a boy sleep in her bed? Even if he wasn't a boy at the time? Yet she could not hide from herself that she _was_ thinking about it. Akane remembered once again holding Ranma in her arms last night as he silently wept, as he struggled with the shame, as he took comfort from her presence. She turned and went in search of Kasumi.

Akane found her sister, naturally enough, in her bedroom. She slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind her, causing Kasumi to lift a quizzical eye. Akane took a deep breath.

"Kasumi, oneechan, I ... I've got something I want to ... talk to you about."

Kasumi noted the hesitation in the voice, the slight hue to the cheeks, the fingertips tapping together, the toe digging into the floor. Whatever it was, Akane was deeply embarrassed by it. The older girl patted the bed beside where she was sitting. Akane gratefully sat down at her sister's side. Kasumi put an arm around her, pulling in her in tight.

"Now tell me what's troubling you."

When Akane haltingly laid forth her suggestion and asked her older sister's opinion, Kasumi was at first shocked speechless. It wasn't so much the impropriety, although that did bother her some. Still, according to Akane's plan, Ranma would be a girl himself at the time. But it was hard to believe that Akane of all people was making such an offer. As Kasumi sat and thought it over, some of the things she had read in her borrowed psychology books came to mind. It seemed likely that Akane was responding to feelings which arose from the fact that she was the one who had rescued Ranma, and nursed him through the initial trauma. Her little sister probably didn't even realize this herself.

Kasumi spoke softly. "I must say you've surprised me considerably. I know you know that Ranma is a boy, even when his curse doesn't agree. Given all the trouble you've had with boys lately ..."

Akane responded in disgust, "Boys!" She gave a little sigh. "It does bother me. I know he's a boy, whatever he looks like. But ... he needs someone. After what happened to him ... You know he's going to have more nightmares. The last couple of nights ... I didn't really think about him being a boy. Or a girl. He was just someone in pain."

Kasumi bit her lip, wondering what the right choice was. There was a lot of sense in Akane's arguments. Someone probably _was_ going to end up comforting him again, or worse, he'd need someone to but no one would hear. And that someone probably would be Akane. Kasumi wished she could consult the therapist she had called. She resolved to do so tomorrow during the day, but for now a decision was needed.

Offering up a little prayer, hoping it was the right choice, Kasumi said, "Okay. I think you're probably right. You're probably also right that it may help to prevent the nightmares in the first place, or at least stop them before they get too bad. Of course, you still have to convince Ranma ..."

Akane snorted at the last sentence. It was a point she honestly hadn't considered, and she had to admit it was very valid. The baka probably _wouldn't_ be willing to admit what was best for him.

With a wry smile, Akane replied, "Well, I guess I'd better go and have a talk with him then."

Kasumi nodded, although she was more pensive. With a grimace she added, "I believe that I'd better have a talk myself, with Nabiki and our father. If you're going to do this, I don't want either of them causing a fuss."

Akane nodded, grimacing now herself. "Thanks. I didn't think about that either. Gods, if Nabiki were to tease me about that in front of Ranma ... I mean, bad enough how angry _I'd_ be. But it might really hurt Ranma." She turned and gave her sister a firm hug, eliciting a gasp. "Thank you, oneechan."

Leaving Kasumi's room, Akane squared her shoulders determinedly, then went off in search of Ranma. She found him just returning to the house. She asked him to come upstairs to the guest room, where they could, she hoped, speak privately. Wondering what this was about, Ranma followed her.

Akane knelt on the floor facing Ranma, motioning him to sit as well, then chewed on her lip for a while without speaking. Ranma, perforce, waited silently. Finally, Akane decided to stop debating how to make her suggestion, and to just start talking.

"Er, Ranma," she began, "the last couple of nights, you know, you've had bad nightmares, and I've ended up sleeping beside you. I ... well, it felt good knowing I was able to help you, and I'm starting to think I really can trust you."

She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm worried that you're going to have more nightmares. You've barely begun to get over what happened, and even though you're an incredible martial artist, you can't defend yourself from your dreams."

Ranma flushed at these words and dropped his eyes angrily. Akane reached out and touched fingertips to the back of his hand.

"Please. This isn't ... easy for me, either. I'm worried because you can't call out. If you have a nightmare, no one's going to know unless you knock something over like you did last night. Kasumi and I don't think you should be alone at night."

Ranma looked up, wondering what she was suggesting.

Akane didn't keep him in suspense for long. Blushing, she looked down and said, "If you're willing to sleep as a female, you can stay with me at night. If you have any more nightmares, I'll know immediately and can help you. But you have to be a girl! There's no _way_ I'd consider this if you were a boy. Well, a boy on the outside, anyway."

Akane then shrugged. "Besides, let's be practical. Like it or not, you're going to have more nightmares. In which case, I'll probably end up staying with you, and going to sleep holding you. We might as well start out the night that way and avoid the worst of it."

Ranma's mind had nearly shut down from shock. Ever since Akane's appearance in the alley that night, he had regarded her as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He knew that this was in part a reaction to the circumstances, but there was no denying that she was very pretty. He had also begun to see some of her faults, so was well aware that she was not perfect, yet his opinion of her good qualities was still very high. This was ... too great an honor. And felt too much like dishonor. His mind was unwaveringly male, even when his body was female.

Ranma shook his head, then pulled out his pad. On the sheet he handed her, Akane read, "When I'm a girl outside, I'm still a guy inside. It would be wrong."

"I know you're still a guy inside, baka," Akane told him, a touch acerbically. "I think I can trust you, and if you're a girl then I won't ... instinctively distrust you. If you were a real girl, and you'd gone through ... what you went through ... I wouldn't hesitate to make this offer. Even if you're not a real girl ... you need someone to hold you through the night. Please. I want to help you."

Ranma handed her another sheet which read, "No. I can't ask you to do that." As Akane read it, he stood and walked away.

She jumped up and walked after him, raising her voice. "Hey dummy! _You_ didn't ask me. _I_ suggested it." When he kept walking, she turned around, grabbed up a nearby pillow and threw it at his back. He ignored the soft impact as beneath his notice. Fuming, Akane rolled up the futon, folded the blankets, and put everything away, carrying the sheets down to the laundry room to be washed. Ranma glared at her as she walked past with the sheets. Akane gave a toss of her head, sniffing loudly to show her disdain.

As soon as she passed, Ranma went back up to the guest room, and pulled the futon back out. Akane followed, grabbed it away from him, and tossed it out the window. Ranma scowled at her then at the window, as though debating whether to jump after it and bring the futon back up. Akane grabbed him, saying, "Oh _no_ you don't!"

He looked down at her arm, then his features drooped and he just looked sad. Digging out the pad once more, Ranma paused to consider what he wanted to say, then wrote, "You're special. Don't want to see you hurt. Don't want people to think bad things about you."

Akane snorted on reading this. "I'm not special, and some people _already_ think bad things about me." She paused at the murderous look in his eyes, and decided not to expand on the rumors at school. "In any case, isn't that _my_ concern? I don't care what other people think. I _do_ care about what you're going through."

Ranma turned his back so as not to look at her. He felt confused, unsure of himself. He hated anything like an admission that he needed help, but couldn't hide the truth from himself. He knew that he'd give almost anything to avoid a repeat of the last nightmare, which had begun with a replay of the attack, except that no help had come to stop the men.

Akane watched him standing there, and wished that he were female right now so that she would find it easier to show her concern. Firmly squashing any reactions to his male body, she stepped forward and slowly put her arms around him from behind. She whispered, "This isn't about you being a boy, or me being a girl, and it's nobody else's business. This is about you needing someone to chase away the bad dreams, and me offering to do so. Let me. Okay?"

Slowly and hesitantly, Ranma nodded.

When bedtime came, Ranma looked at himself in a mirror while he poured water over his head, watching his features shift to those of a girl. He walked to Akane's room, and lay down on her bed. Akane came in, turned off the light, and lay down beside him. She slipped her arms around Ranma, who leaned back and allowed himself to be held and comforted. It took a while, but they slowly drifted off to sleep.

Ranma did have another nightmare that night, but his thrashing woke Akane shortly after it started. She woke him and held him while he panted and calmed back down. It was only a short time before they were both asleep again.

* * *

Wednesday morning arrived with Kasumi considering what errand she could have Ranma accompany her into town upon this day. She didn't want to risk sending him out by himself until after she had a chance to speak to his therapist. During breakfast, she decided that he could use some more clothes, as much of the clothing in his pack was rather worn.

Just before leaving for school, Nabiki turned to Akane with a smirk and inquired, "Do you think Kuno-baby is going to renew his suggestions that you allow him to escort you around town at night?"

Akane snarled. "He'd better not! If he keeps this up, I swear I'm going to knock him into orbit!"

Nabiki allowed her grin to grow. "Well, if you'd lose to one of the boys, you'd have a ready-made escort. If you want to consider it, just be sure to whisper in my ear first, so I can adjust the odds."

Akane's snarl intensified. "I'll see them in hell before I let one of those perverts touch me!"

Neither sister took notice of Ranma sitting nearby, or they way he was looking at them. As they slipped on their shoes and walked out the door, Ranma continued to worry over the conversation, wondering what it was about. Finally, he decided to ask Kasumi. He found her in the kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast.

Kasumi turned around to find Ranma standing behind her, holding out a sheet of paper. Taking it, she read, "What did Nabiki and Akane mean? What perverts are trying to touch Akane?"

"Oh my." Kasumi sat in a nearby chair, wondering how much she should disclose. "Well, ever since the beginning of the school year, Akane has been having some trouble with the boys at school. A large group of them attack her every morning, and they think that if one of them wins, then he can insist that she has to ..." Kasumi broke off the sentence, as she found herself speaking to empty air.

Ranma was already over the wall and accelerating. Luckily, their trip to the market yesterday had taken them past the high school, which Kasumi had pointed out. Relieved that he recognized the landmarks he had noted, Ranma was rapidly approaching a blur to the eyes of passersby.

In Ranma's mind, the image of the men who had tried to molest him Sunday night merged with an image of the school grounds, and he saw them preparing to attack Akane. His legs moved even faster, as he once more felt the terror from that night rising up within him, only this time he was free, consumed by fury, and a red battle aura blazed forth.

When he had watched the men approach him, the horror had mixed with his terror of the cat which had preceded it. As he ran and that fear replayed itself in his mind, the fear of the cat again came with it, and the two merged even more fully than they had during the event. At the time, Ranma had prayed in vain for the neko-ken to overwhelm him. Now, for the first time in his life, he welcomed the feeling of fear and the feral fury he felt lurking beneath it. He opened himself to it fully, and nearly invisible blue claws shimmered into existence at his fingertips.

An old woman stood just inside her gate, with a pail of water whose overt purpose was to settle the dust on the walk. She dipped her ladle into the water as she saw a figure approaching down the street at high speed. With a careless fling, she tossed the water out and down. Her eyes widened and she gave a frustrated growl as she realized that she had unaccountably missed, that the person had run past before the water could reach him.

From up ahead, Ranma heard a shout, "_I_ ... _hate_ ... _boys_!" He identified it as Akane's voice, and sped up even more. As he came within sight of the school gate, he saw at least three dozen boys attacking her with baseball bats, hockey sticks, and other weapons.

The assembled school population saw a red blur explode into the school yard. Moving like a whirlwind, it caused bodies to fly through the air, in trajectories arcing away from Akane. As they landed in crumpled heaps, the boys who were still conscious howled in anguish while clutching at broken bones or bloody gouges. One boy slammed into a tree and gave a gurgling scream as a broken rib punctured a lung. Akane froze in shock, not understanding at first what was happening.

Tatewaki Kuno stepped out from behind a tree as he saw the carnage spread around Akane. He jumped across the intervening space, calling out, "Fear not, my fierce tigress, the Blue Thunder shall protect you!" Akane was so intent on everything else, that he was able to grab her arm before she knew what he was about.

Ranma's eyes locked like gun sights on the hand which had just grabbed Akane's arm. Kuno did have some measure of skill, and he managed a single swing of his bokken toward the attack he perceived on an almost subconscious level.

His attempt was useless, however, as the bokken was transformed into shaved slices of wood. The hand holding Akane released her involuntarily, as rapid blows broke the arm in three places. A kick like a piledriver slammed into Kuno's chest, and he flew through the air to smash into the wall surrounding the school, shattering the stone. Kuno slumped to the ground, mercifully unconscious. He would not learn until after he awakened that he had numerous fractures of his ribs, both from the kick and his impact with the wall, together with a concussion where his head struck the wall.

Akane saw that Ranma was now standing beside her, eyes swiveling around to stare in hatred at the prone forms. Any boy who so much as twitched drew his steely gaze, and immediately froze in fear again. Akane reached out hesitantly, then drew her hand back without touching him. "Ranma?" She spoke his name with a trace of fear, wondering what was going through his mind.

Ranma turned toward her, but as his eyes met hers Akane saw his expression shift to one of agony, along with something more primal. She reached out again, and this time rested fingertips on his chest. "Why?" she asked.

Ranma's mouth twisted, unable to form words. He swept an arm around the schoolyard at the injured boys, then pointed at her. "Because ... they were attacking me?" Akane asked. He nodded.

Akane looked into his eyes, then her face clouded. She drew back a hand and slapped him. "Jerk! This was my fight! Who asked you to interfere?"

Ranma raised a hand to touch his cheek. His mouth opened, but he had no means to explain. His lips curled in frustration, his teeth gritted, the rest of his expression unreadable.

Nabiki chose that moment to walk up, and handed the young man a pad of paper and a pen. "That'll be two hundred yen later, Ranma." She looked around herself with satisfaction. No one had bet on _this_ outcome for the morning battle, so she'd be keeping all the money. Then she scowled at the thought that none of them would be in any shape to fight for days to come, if they'd even dare to again.

In the meantime, Ranma was writing. He showed the pad to Akane, where he had written, "Had to stop them! They wanted to hurt you, like those men on Sunday!"

Akane looked up from the pad, studying his eyes, beginning to guess some of what was going on behind them. "It's ... not quite like that, Ranma. They're perverts, yes. They've got this stupid idea that if they win, I have to date them. But that's all."

Ranma's look didn't soften at all. He wrote some more, and Akane read, "Doesn't matter. Same kind of thinking. They attack to force you to do things with them."

Akane felt the last of her anger at Ranma evaporate. She understood now. Given what had happened to him, especially with the memory so fresh, there was no way he could _not_ have reacted the way he had. As soon as he heard of the hentai horde, what he would then do had been predestined. Notions of duels and challenges and whose fight it was would be meaningless for him at the moment.

Akane looked around, and there was fire in her eyes, causing the boys to flinch back from her expression. In a carrying voice, she announced, "This is Ranma. He's a friend. He doesn't approve of your method of challenging me. Does anyone want to argue with his opinion?"

All of the boys lying on the ground around her, or at least those who were still conscious, rapidly shook their heads from side to side.

Akane stooped, and came back up holding a piece of wood from Kuno's bokken. "Ranma? How did you do this?"

He wrote, "Neko-ken. Explain later. Confused myself. Need to think."

Akane nodded to show her acceptance. "Okay, though I'm looking forward to that explanation. I suppose we should get you home now. It would probably be best if I took you home myself."

Nabiki cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "Er, Akane, we're going to have ambulances here shortly. Probably police also. Don't you think you should stick around? How are you going to explain this?"

Akane grinned evilly. "I'm sure you'll think of something. Or better yet, let the school administrators come up with the explanation. It's only justice that they deal with the consequences of standing back and doing nothing about the horde."

Nabiki thought about it, then shrugged. "Fair enough, I suppose." She grinned. "I'm sure they'll come up with something creative real fast, if the alternative is admitting that they ignored a mob of boys attacking a single girl. Go on and take Ranma home. I'll pass the word to Yuka that you might not be in class today."

"Thanks, Nabiki." Akane took Ranma's arm. "Come on, Ranma, let's get you back home." They left together through the gate, oblivious to the entire student body staring after their retreating forms, everyone focused in jaw-dropping astonishment on the sight of Akane Tendo holding a boy's arm.

The moment they disappeared from sight, Nabiki disappeared under a swarm of students waving money, demanding information.

And a few minutes later an old woman holding a ladle carefully suppressed her smirk. She hadn't missed the whippersnapper the second time around!

* * *

When they got home, Akane decided that she really didn't want to face all of the questions that would be waiting for her at school, so she stayed home. After explaining matters to Kasumi, she helped her older sister to tutor Ranma for a while, then all three of them went out shopping for clothes. While they walked, Akane explained a little more about how the hentai horde had come into existence.

As it turned out, it was lucky that Akane went with them. Along the way, a man dared to leer appreciatively at Kasumi, and only Akane's presence allowed him to survive unharmed. Face twisted in terror, the unfortunate fool managed to make his escape while Akane barely managed to restrain Ranma. Kasumi then sternly explained to the young man at her side that he couldn't just go around attacking people for simple rudeness.

After lunch, Ranma went out to the dojo and meditated for a period in front of the shrine, trying to understand what had happened that morning. Once he had collected his thoughts on the possibilities, he went outside to try some experiments. An hour later he looked down grimly at the parallel grooves he had cut in one of the stones by the koi pond.

It was a little like deliberately sticking one's hand in a fire, but if he dredged up his memories of how he had felt during the attempted assault, he felt a fear which seemed tied to his fear of cats. This allowed him to enter the neko-ken state in a controlled form, without losing his sanity. It wasn't something he thought he would do on purpose very often, since reliving the painful memory was a form of torture that he didn't care to experience. Even so, he was a martial artist, and he would not disregard any weapon which might prove useful, even if it did hurt to use it.

And he already knew one way he intended to use it, and made a promise to himself to see to it tomorrow.

For now, however, he had a promise to keep concerning an explanation. He went back inside to find that Nabiki had just returned from school and was enjoying a popsicle, while Akane was looking over the assignments that had just been handed to her. Soun was studying a shogi board, apparently concerning the daily problem from the newspaper. He stepped into the kitchen, but found it was empty. Looking a little further, he found Kasumi folding laundry, and motioned for her to follow him.

He entered the family room and picked up his pad. Everyone looked at him, curious. He started writing, tearing off sheets and handing them to Akane to read aloud.

"I was trained by an idiot," she read, unable to suppress a small chuckle at the last word. "A good martial artist. But an idiot. His training methods often worked. Sometimes they failed. Sometimes badly.

"When I was ten he found a book with an unbeatable technique called the neko-ken. He decided to train me in it. If he had turned the next page, he would have read that only a fool would try.

"He filled a pit with cats. Starved them. Tied me up. Wrapped me in fish sausage." Akane choked on the next words and had to try again. "Threw me in. Ignored my screams."

"Goodness!" Kasumi exclaimed.

"How ... how rigorous!" Soun stuttered.

Akane read the next sheet. "Now I have an uncontrollable fear of cats. That's what happened Sunday." Akane started crying just a little as she read. "I was running from a cat when I ran into something. Knocked me out. When I woke up I was dizzy, weak, already tied."

"There was nothing you could have done, Ranma-kun," Kasumi told him earnestly.

Ranma wrote, "I know that. In my head." He showed her the words, then wrote more and handed the sheet to Akane.

"If I can't get away from the fear, the neko-ken takes me. I think I'm a cat. Unbeatable, chi claws, but don't remember anything."

Akane looked up after reading that. "Chi claws? That sounds a little ... On the other hand, after seeing your curse, why not? It explains Kuno's bokken at least."

Nabiki put in her two yen. "It didn't look to me like you thought you were a cat. You also act like you remember it."

Ranma shrugged and wrote some more. "Confused me too. Needed to meditate and try some stuff. Was almost in neko-ken when - I woke up Sunday. Wanted to be. Claws would slice ropes easily. Slice bastards too. Wasn't though.

"Fear of cat, fear of what was about to happen. Got tangled up in my head. Now, think hard about what happened, go into neko-ken. In control though."

Kasumi looked worried. "Oh dear. I'm not sure it's healthy for you to relive it too vividly."

Ranma gave her a sad look and wrote. "You're right. Hurts too much. This morning, Akane said perverts try to touch her. You said they attack to force her." Akane took a deep breath before continuing. "Saw it happen again, except to Akane. Had to stop them. Didn't know I was in neko-ken. Until after."

Akane looked up after this, her eyes angry, and Ranma was afraid she was angry at him again. Then she asked, "Who was this stupid fool who trained you?"

Ranma handed her another sheet with a grim face. "Won't say. Don't ever want to see him again. His fault. He made me afraid of cats. He knocked me into pool at Jusenkyo. Unconscious because of him. Girl because of him."

Soun's face hardened. "Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I give you my word of honor, you'll never have to go back to him again. Whoever he is, you're free of him, I promise."

At that very moment, about twenty kilometers inland from the coast of China, a panda bear dropped the bamboo it was munching to give a mighty sneeze.

* * *

Akane threw herself into her training with Ranma that afternoon and evening, pleased that she could already notice visible improvement. Even if the improvement so far was merely the correction of flaws which had crept into her forms while she tried to train herself. As she soaked afterward, she was startled to realize how comfortable she was becoming with Ranma's presence, even when he was male. It was hard to remember that she had carried him home only three days ago.

That night Ranma changed into a girl and shared Akane's bed again. When he woke up crying in the middle of the night, she sang to him softly until he went back to sleep again, a lullaby that Kasumi used to sing to her when they were younger. As she drifted off to sleep herself, Akane remembered Kasumi telling her once that their mother used to sing them to sleep with that same song.

* * *

On Thursday, Akane's frustration gradually mounted throughout the school day. It was a relief to walk through the gates unmolested that morning, and not to have to put up with Kuno. On the other hand, it turned out that rumors had spread through the school like wildfire about herself and Ranma.

The _tamest_ of the rumors was that he was her secret boyfriend. They scaled up from there seemingly without limit. That the boys of Furinkan were all perverts was a given with her, and she had always known that some of the girls could give them competition. But she had never before guessed just _how_ perverted some of the girls were, or how _many_ of them were. Some of the things they asked her about Ranma were beyond belief.

One note too many came across her desk during history class near the end of the day. She suddenly stood up and loudly declared, "Ranma is just a guest in our house! We are not dating, we are not lovers, we are not secretly married, and I am not having his baby! I have no idea how 'big' he is, or what sort of fantasies he likes! We did not go home yesterday for the purpose of spending all day having sex, and we won't even _discuss_ the idea of my sister Kasumi joining us for that! He's just a boy, a fellow martial artist, who is staying with us for a while! And yes, I'm on my way out to the hall to hold buckets!" This last was addressed to the teacher, causing him to close the mouth he had opened during this tirade.

* * *

While Akane was at school, Ranma slipped out of the house by himself. He had consulted a telephone book to get the address of the Kuno residence. Although he had more trouble than he expected at dealing with all the strangers around him, especially with no familiar comforting presence nearby, he persevered. He got directions from a few people by writing his requests, finding his way to the estate easily. Nabiki had let slip the information that the boy who had started it all was staying at home rather than in a hospital, being wealthy enough to hire a private nurse. Ranma smirked as he imagined Nabiki's chagrin if she realized she had given that away for free.

Standing outside the gates of the estate, Ranma painfully called up the memories from Sunday. Before long, his sharpened senses informed him that he was in the neko-ken, and he confirmed it by slicing a long scratch down the stone wall. He leaped over the gate, and walked up to the door. Along the way he paused to stare at a pond containing an alligator, before continuing with a snort.

The door was answered by a short man who appeared to be wearing a modified ninja outfit. "How did you get past the gate?" this man demanded.

Ranma rolled his eyes, wrote for a moment, then held out his pad. "Jumped. May I speak with Tatewaki Kuno?"

The servant stared at Ranma. "What, you can't ask out loud?"

Ranma wrote, and showed him, "No. Can't talk."

The little man flushed in embarrassment. "Still, I don't see why I should let you in. Master Kuno isn't seeing any visitors."

Ranma wrote some more. Then his hand flashed out, seized the man around the neck, lifted him and pinned him to a wall. Ranma's other hand held the pad out. "Because, for the moment, I'm asking nicely."

In a choking voice, the servant declared, "Perhaps ... I can ... let ... you in ... to see ... him."

Ranma nodded and released his hold. He followed the little man through several hallways, and into a large bedroom. "Master Kuno," the servant announced, "you have a visitor."

Ranma wrote, "I'd like to speak to him privately." He gave the man a chance to read this, then pushed him through the door and shut it behind him. He turned around and stepped closer to the bed, looking down at the slightly older boy whose torso was wrapped in bandages and whose entire left arm was in a cast.

Kuno looked the newcomer up and down. There was no recognition, as Ranma had not stopped moving during the previous day's fight until after Kuno was unconscious. He demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Ranma wrote on his pad, then held it out. Kuno read, "Get this out of the way first. No, I can't talk. Mute."

Kuno nodded, to show that he understood this point, then waited while Ranma wrote some more.

Ranma held out the pad, on which was written, "I'm a friend of Akane Tendo. She can't stand you. You upset her. Want your word you'll stay away from Akane."

"Nonsense," Kuno declared. "Akane Tendo is in love with my magnificent self. One day soon, she shall finally admit this, and the heavens shall smile upon our romance."

Ranma tilted his head and gave the nut a considering look, then buried his fist in the boy's gut, driving all breath from Kuno's body. While Kuno tried to suck in more air, Ranma wrote, then held the pad out.

It read, "Won't usually hit a man who's down. But I'll make an exception for you."

Kuno gasped out. "You ... dishonorable ... cur."

Ranma wrote, "Watch carefully." He stepped over to the wall, and lifted down a katana. It was beautifully worked, obviously expensive. Ranma made sure he had Kuno's attention, then moved his fingertips down the length of the blade, keeping them a couple of centimeters away from it all the way. The blade separated into four curling strips of metal.

Kuno stuttered, "What ...? How ...?" Then, "Do you know how much that _cost_?"

Ranma smiled at Kuno, quite the most malevolent smile the kendoist had ever seen. The pad was held out again, and Kuno read, "Akane hates you. Hate, not love. Go near her again, and I'll carve you like that katana."

Ranma then reached down, and Kuno watched in horror as his pajamas and boxers parted in long tears, just to either side of his groin. He swallowed hard as he looked up at the young man who had invaded his room, and saw chips of interstellar ice in those blue eyes. The fog of his delusion parted temporarily, and with awful clarity Kuno realized that this strange boy was _not_ bluffing. The horrible truth penetrated that the stranger _wanted_ to be given an excuse to carry out his threat.

A brave samurai might reasonably expect to lay down his life for his honor. The family jewels were another matter. Without conscious decision, Kuno found his head nodding up and down in agreement to the demand.

Ranma wrote one more time. He tore off the sheet and dropped it on Kuno's chest, then turned and walked out the door. Kuno lifted the paper with his good arm and read, "Remember. This is the only chance you get. I won't be interested in talking next time."

The servant entered the bedroom again to find his master looking extremely pale. Kuno looked at him and said, "Sasuke, I need you to discover everything you may about the rogue who was just here. This is not to be borne. I swear I shall mete out justice against him."

After his servant bowed and left, Kuno lay back and shivered. He had believed that he loved Akane Tendo. He had just come to the realization that there was something else he loved much more. It was a shocking revelation how easily he could set aside his supposed love when faced with a sufficient threat, and he spent a long time pondering what that meant.

* * *

**Author's note:**

First, my apologies for the similarity between the final scene involving Kuno and the scene in chapter 3 of _Childhood's End_. I honestly didn't notice while I was writing it; didn't remember how I had done the other scene. This one turns out a bit differently, however, since Kuno is not totally cowed.

Also, a bit of reassurance about my use of the neko-ken in this story. It isn't a magic bullet for solving all of Ranma's problems. It _is_ important to the story. It _will_ be used on a few occasions. However, Ranma's mastery of it is imperfect, it is painful for him to use, and it will not be the means for dealing with every crisis.

As for the damage inflicted on the hentai horde, allow me to add the disclaimer that no animals were actually harmed in the production of this chapter, not even those creatures. Or ... at least not much. Not a lot, anyway.


	3. Starting School

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 3. Starting School**

Sasuke returned while Kuno was eating his dinner. The little ninja servant waited patiently until the nurse finished feeding his master, then closed the door behind her as she left. "Report, Sasuke!" Kuno called out from his bed.

Sasuke took up position beside the bed and began speaking, wondering how much of what he said would be believed. "In fulfillment of your wish, I went to the Tendo home and observed the premises for a time from a nearby rooftop. Later I made contact with Nabiki Tendo and paid her a substantial amount in exchange for most of the information I have." He cocked an eyebrow at his master.

Kuno waved for the man to go on. Nabiki might be an infuriating wench, and less than forthcoming at times, but the information she provided in exchange for hard cash was always solid.

Sasuke continued. "The young man who showed up here is named Ranma - no other name is known. He suffered some sort of attack recently, about which Nabiki-sama would give me no facts, but which has apparently left him mute. It seems that after this mysterious attack, the Tendo father invited this Ranma to remain as a guest in their home." Sasuke paused expectantly.

His master did not disappoint him. "What!" Kuno shouted. "Living under the same roof as Akane Tendo! I forbid it! Bring me my blade! Help me out of this bed! I must smite the foul wretch!"

"Er, perhaps you should wait until your injuries have healed somewhat?" the servant suggested.

Kuno growled, but slowly sank back to his mattress again. His subconscious, which had been hammering for admittance, finally gained entrance and reminded him of the ruined clothing which the nurse had discarded. "Perhaps you are right, my lowly servant. Furthermore, in this case, a frontal assault may not be the best course to pursue. I need to know more. What else did you learn?"

"It would seem that he is a highly skilled martial artist," the man reported. "Despite Akane Tendo's own skills in that field, _he_ is training _her_." He paused once more, but to his surprise, Kuno controlled his emotions and said nothing.

He shrugged and went on, "The strangest thing of all is that he is reputed to have a curse, which I would not have believed had I not seen its effect with my own eyes. According to Nabiki-sama, when cold water is poured upon this Ranma, he undergoes a transformation in which he becomes female. The application of hot water changes him back to male."

"Oh come now," Kuno chuckled, "she was surely pulling your leg ... but wait, you said that you witnessed this yourself? Could you not tell if there was some trick involved?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Remember, I paid for this information." Kuno looked disturbed as he considered that. "I did not understand at first what I saw, since it occurred before I spoke to Nabiki-sama. She and I talked after Ranma and Akane-san went into the dojo."

He paused, reflecting, and spoke slowly as if he were watching events unfold once more. "I was on a roof diagonally across from a back corner of their property, from which I had a good view of the side yard where their koi pond is located. Kasumi-san was out in the yard hanging laundry to dry. Tendo-san was sitting on the engawa, smoking a cigarette. Ranma and Akane-san walked out of the house and over to the pond, where they sat on two of the rocks. He appeared to be writing something, by which I presumed he and Akane-san were conversing.

"At that moment an object came flying from some distance and landed in the pond. It was later identified as a baseball. I would guess that some person with more strength than aim hit it with a bat from the vacant lot three blocks from their house." He shrugged. Where it came from was of little matter. "It caused a splash which struck both Ranma and Akane-san. As soon as the water struck Ranma, his appearance changed. The most striking difference that was visible from my position was in his hair color, which changed from black to red."

"Are you sure of this?" Kuno asked insultingly.

"Quite sure," was the reply, "although I did not at that time understand what I saw. I then saw him, or her, pull off her shirt and twist it over the pond, wringing water out of it. Her chest ... well, as I said, I did not understand until I spoke to Nabiki-sama later, but for a female it must have been a generous endowment to be so visible from where I lay. Also, Akane-san clearly became wroth, presumably over the public display."

Kuno lay back, pondering this strange tale. "I must see this for myself before I will truly be able to believe it. And yet ... is it not of a piece with his invisible talons? Surely this is some demon which has insinuated itself into their household. The Tendo family is much too trusting, not possessing my wisdom and ability to see through the demon's external visage. Yet however worthy I may be, I am but mortal. I must take thought on how to expose its perfidy for all to see."

Once more returning to awareness of his surroundings, Kuno said, "Thank you for your efforts, Sasuke. You are dismissed."

The little ninja bowed, and left the room. ‹Demons!› he snorted to himself. ‹I just knew he'd see it as something like that.›

* * *

Kasumi insisted that Akane escort Ranma to his appointment Friday afternoon to see the therapist. Despite the slowly increasing ease he displayed when he accompanied her on her errands, Kasumi doubted the wisdom of letting him walk around town alone already. It had disturbed her very much when she found him missing the day before. Especially considering the expression on his face when he returned. She hoped that he would not take it into his head to turn vigilante, and try to hunt down men that he _believed_ might be thinking about assaulting a woman.

After they left for the appointment, Nabiki wandered into the kitchen looking for a snack while Kasumi was there working on dinner. Kasumi gave her younger sister a sharp look, finished the task she had at hand and dried her hands, then turned around to face the middle Tendo daughter.

"Nabiki-chan, we haven't been seeing very much of you lately, outside of meals. Tell me, have you been trying to avoid Ranma-kun?"

Nabiki pulled her head back out of the refrigerator and blushed, thanking any watching spirits that her colleagues at school never observed her in conversation with Kasumi. It was beyond her how her older sister made such connections without apparent effort, while always appearing oblivious to events in progress.

"Um, well, I suppose I am," she replied tentatively. "I mean, you know ... everyone in the family knows what I'm like. Most of the time. Akane's strong enough to take my teasing, even if she does get upset. But Ranma ... I doubt that he's ready to face me like that. And, uh ..." She tapped fingertips together nervously. "I just don't know how to act around him. Sympathetic, I mean. If I tried, that's how it would come across. An act. Something completely unnatural."

Kasumi leaned back against the counter, nodding slightly in agreement. "Yes. I see. I think you may be underestimating yourself, but I understand how you feel." She cocked her head slightly, considering, before she continued. "I suggest you try to make the effort, though. For our sakes as well as your own. You don't want us to forget what you look like, do you?"

"I ... I'll try, oneesan," Nabiki answered guiltily.

Taking that as a promise, Kasumi turned back to her tasks, allowing her younger sister to make her escape. The snack for which Nabiki had come was forgotten.

* * *

When Akane and Ranma got to the therapist's office, Akane sat down in the waiting room with her homework while Ranma went in. He was scheduled to remain with the counselor for an hour and, given that he had to write down everything he wanted to say, Akane was confident that he would need to make use of every minute of that time. So she was considerably surprised when he emerged from the inner office a little before the end of the designated period.

At some point during the intervening time, Ranma had also changed from male to female. Worried that something might be wrong, Akane hurriedly put her book off to one side and stood, meeting him halfway across the room. He was holding his pad, and he angled it for her to read the message written on the top sheet. "Mitaka-sensei wants to speak with you. Okay?"

Akane looked up from reading this, blinking at the unexpected request, but she nodded in easy agreement. Ranma stepped aside, gesturing for her to proceed. She expected him to follow, but as she walked toward the door he sat down, oblivious to his female shape, and picked up her discarded textbook to look at curiously. Akane paused for a moment and watched his mouth twist before he dropped the book back on the table, slumped down in his seat, stretched out his legs and crossed his arms under his breasts. With a yawn he closed his eyes, obviously preparing to nap. One corner of Akane's mouth quirked up as she turned away, going inside the office and closing the door behind her.

An older woman was sitting in one of two chairs, pulled together at right angles a conversational distance apart. Her hair was mostly white, and she was writing notes. At Akane's entrance she looked up with a smile and motioned her to take a seat in the other chair.

"Please, have a seat," the woman told her. "You're Akane Tendo, right?"

"Yes, Mitaka-sensei," the girl replied demurely, taking the offered seat.

"Just Mitaka-san will do, Tendo-san," the woman said kindly. "Ranma-san has told me, though not in so many words, that you and he have become friends. Would you agree with that statement?"

Akane blinked, startled. Were they? Friends? She'd known him for less than a week, and he was a boy, wasn't he? Though come to think of it, she had told the horde on Wednesday morning that he was a friend. Had she meant it? She thought about the training they did every day, and how much she enjoyed it despite how hard he was on her. She remembered the notes he had written to her during that stupid American movie they watched last night, which had made her laugh. She thought about the method she had chosen to protect him from his nightmares.

"Yes ..." she answered hesitantly. "I suppose we are friends."

"You sound as if that surprises you," Mitaka pointed out, inviting her to expand on her statement.

Akane did so. "I ... well, as a matter of fact, I guess I am a little surprised. I ... umm, well ... I have a pretty low opinion of boys." She hesitated and gave a weak smile. "Most people would say extremely low."

Some time passed. Without being quite sure how it happened, Akane found herself describing in depth her opinion of boys in general, the hentai horde in particular, the nature of sexual perversion, and even her relationship with her father. About the only topic they seemed to steer clear of was Ranma, which seemed particularly strange since he was the whole reason they were here.

Akane decided to broach the subject. "Mitaka-san, will Ranma be all right?"

The therapist smiled. "I am quite sure he will be, in time. He has a very strong core. Some of the things which have happened to him in the past ..." The woman paused, shaking her head. She smiled again as she said, "Indeed, he is already healing rapidly, I think due in large part to you."

Akane blushed, dropping her eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of this statement.

Mitaka continued without pause. "Now I can't reveal too many details without violating confidentiality. He lost his speech due to the trauma, of course, though I can't discuss what was going through his mind at that moment. I am reasonably confident, though not absolutely certain, that he will eventually recover the ability to talk. It is important, however, that he not struggle too hard to do so. Repeated failure too early could reinforce the condition and make it permanent."

Akane met Mitaka's eyes, nodding to show that she understood. When she looked away again her eyes came to rest on a stack of small papers. Realizing what they must be, she found herself suddenly wondering what she would learn if she could read through them.

Following her gaze, the therapist's lips compressed into a thin line. "As soon as we're finished, I will of course immediately destroy all of the notes which Ranma-san wrote." Extremely embarrassed to have been caught thinking what she had thought, Akane looked away again quickly.

Putting that matter aside, the older woman tilted her head a little to the side, considering Akane closely. "If you are willing," she suggested, "I think you could play a significant role in your friend's recovery."

Akane was confused. "I ... I could? What would I have to do?"

"The most important thing is to continue what you are already doing. Be his friend. Continue your martial arts workouts. Martial arts is very central to his life. I believe that those workouts are doing him a world of good. It is a familiar setting to him, it occupies his mind so he has less time to dwell on unpleasant thoughts, it reinforces the sense of friendship with you, and it is helping to rebuild his confidence. I couldn't have come up with a better therapy for him if I had tried."

"Oh," Akane said, not having thought about any of those things before. She smiled. "Well, I certainly want to continue. I'm enjoying the training a lot, and he really is helping me to improve."

"Excellent," Mitaka said stoutly in obvious approval. "The other thing you could do, which I would appreciate very much, is to continue to come with him to these appointments. I would like to speak with you for a little while at the end of each session. Could you do that?"

"I ... yes, if you think it would help," Akane agreed.

"I do indeed," the older woman replied, with an inner smile. With luck the girl beside her would never realize that she was receiving therapy at the same time as Ranma. "We have arranged to meet on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, at four o'clock. Is that acceptable?" Akane nodded. "Very good. We will decide next Friday if he is ready to start attending classes at school the following Monday or if he should wait a while longer."

Mitaka steepled her fingers together in front of her. "Now, one last thing before you go. Concerning your sleeping arrangements."

Akane looked down in her lap. "Was it a bad idea?" she asked timidly. "But his nightmares seem so terrible. And since he can't call out, if he was by himself, we wouldn't know he was having one."

"Try not to jump to conclusions, Tendo-san. I think it's doing him more good than not, at least for the time being. You're right about the nightmares being terrible. Although some of the things in them might surprise you, such as cats, and a towering image of his father mocking him for his helplessness."

Akane grew angry. "Actually, I do understand about the cats. As for his father mocking him - how could anyone treat his own child like that?"

Mitaka cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. "Who said that his father would treat him so? That is only an image in his dream. I will admit that Ranma-san does not think highly of his father, whoever or wherever he is - and my patient is being less than forthcoming about that." She scowled briefly. "But he does not believe that his father would behave so terribly in reality. Rather, it is an expression of his own difficulty in accepting that he was truly helpless. His subconscious is punishing himself."

"Oh," Akane responded meekly. "I see. So ... I should continue letting him sleep with me, then?"

The therapist watched her closely. "First, I would ask how you truly feel about it? Even though it is a girl's body sharing your bed, Ranma-san is unquestionably still male inside that body. Does that thought bother you? Please be completely honest."

Akane thought carefully before answering. "It does bother me a little, but ... not because I'm afraid he might try something. Oh, I was the first night, or two, but ... when I put my arms around the red-haired girl and I feel her relax, I get this sense of ... of vulnerability from her. Last night, I don't remember worrying at all that he'd try to take advantage."

She looked away, feeling her face growing hot again. "What bothers me is the way _I_ feel. I do know that he's male inside, and it ... makes me feel funny, knowing that in some sense there's a boy in my bed. The first night, I was kind of scared about it. But last night, um ... uh ..."

Mitaka smiled at her kindly. "Did you have some sexual thoughts about him? It's perfectly natural."

"But I don't ...! He isn't ...! We aren't ...!"

The older woman sighed. ‹Teenagers,› she thought to herself. ‹Always so very worried what everyone thinks of them.›

Out loud, she spoke soothingly. "Please calm down. I'm not thinking that anything is going on between the two of you, or that there's anything wrong with you, or that you've done anything naughty, or whatever else you're afraid of. You're a healthy young woman. I'd be shocked if you didn't have a few thoughts of that sort. It doesn't mean anything, beyond the fact that you're normal."

"I ... I am?" Akane asked, plaintively seeking confirmation, looking up with moist eyes. "It's just ... sometimes I'd think about the horde ... it made me feel sick ... but ... there's also this doctor I know ... it felt good then ... I'm sorry. I seem to be babbling."

The therapist kept her expression as kind and gentle as she could. "Try not to let it trouble your heart so much, child. Everyone thinks such things. Even things which they would never want to happen in reality. Perhaps we could talk about this more next Tuesday? I think you may have been worrying yourself unnecessarily about ordinary things, and it may do you good to talk about it to someone who understands."

"I ... maybe." Akane was unconvinced that she'd be able to talk about such things with _anyone_.

"Well, we'll see," Mitaka replied noncommittally. "But going back to the topic of sharing a bed. For now, I think it is mostly to the good, provided he is not a boy when you do. It would cause both of you _far_ too much mental stress if he were male. For now, it allows you to deal with his nightmares, which as you point out might be difficult if he were alone, given his impediment. It gives him a source of comfort, which is important right now. It gives him a chance to feel safe _while_ he is in his female form, which is also of benefit. After he has recovered somewhat, we can see about having him start sleeping by himself once more."

The woman then fixed Akane with a stern look. "However, you must be careful that you do not become a crutch for him. Do not allow him to become emotionally dependent on you, no matter how much it appears to be helping him or how good it makes you feel to have him dependent on you. You would be doing him no favor. In truth, I don't think the risk is very great, given his basic personality. Still, it is something you should be wary about."

She paused, but professional concern forced her to continue. "Also, you are not to engage in any sexual contact with him while the two of you are in bed together." Akane gasped and began to stutter an incoherent protest but the therapist overrode her attempts at denial. "Now, I don't believe for a moment that you plan to do any such thing, but it is best I make it perfectly clear from the start. If the situation changes and you feel any temptation beyond a few harmless thoughts, it would be better to have him start sleeping alone again. The stress of dealing with such matters would, at this time, be more harmful than suffering through the nightmares."

Akane was certain her face must resemble a tomato. "I'm sure that nothing like that will happen," she whispered. "Not ever!"

"Very good, my dear." Mitaka stood up to walk Akane to the door. "Then I'll see you and Ranma-san back here on Tuesday afternoon. Remember, the best thing you can do for him right now is to be a friend. I'm not sure that he has ever had a real friend before. The few people he described as friends ... well, they didn't exactly fit my definition."

"I'll try, Mitaka-san," she promised as she stepped out through the door.

Ranma rose to meet her. He wrote quickly and held out the pad. It said, "You were in there a long time. About me?"

Akane shook her head. "Actually, no. We barely talked about you at all until the end. When we did, I think she mostly wanted to make sure that I was okay with letting you sleep in the same bed." Akane paused and thought for a moment, then added, "I think that since we're spending so much time together, what with training and everything, that she probably wanted to reassure herself about me. What kind of person I am." She made a wry face. "My moral character."

Ranma nodded. This seemed to make sense. They left the building and walked home together.

* * *

The weekend sped by, with few problems aside from some water-related accidents. Nabiki made an effort to talk to Ranma and, although she did come across as extremely stiff, they managed to make some progress.

Sunday night was bad, however. After darkness fell and the streetlights started coming on, Ranma realized that the attack had been exactly a week ago at about that time. He started trembling uncontrollably, while cursing himself for his reaction. He excused himself, and went to bed early.

When Akane looked in on him a little later, she found him in his female form, still awake and looking distressed, as he fought occasional trembles which shook his body. Without speaking, Akane picked up her pajamas and left the room to change. When she came back, she slipped into bed and held him, one girl giving comfort to another, until they both fell asleep.

The next day when Ranma came in from the afternoon session with Akane, he was pounced on immediately by Kasumi. She pushed a change of clothes on him and hurried him into the hallway toward the furoba, saying, "Ranma-kun, your homeroom teacher, that is, the one who will be, just arrived and is speaking with daddy. You need to hurry. Go bathe, and change back to a boy. Then you can join them."

Ranma hesitated, uncertain of the protocols involved. He wrote, "Need to hurry? Should I just change back, skip the bath?"

Kasumi shook her head, frowning. "You've been exercising and you are sweating. You will bathe before meeting your teacher. Just hurry, please."

He nodded his surrender. Taking the clothes, the pigtailed girl walked down the hall quickly. He rapidly stripped, entered the furoba, and went through the motions of bathing. As he took a brief dip in the furo to become male, he had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.

In the midst of stepping out of the furo, he not only discovered that he had indeed forgotten something, but what it was. The door slid open and Akane stepped into the room, undressed and ready for her bath. Both teenagers froze in shock, staring at the other's fully exposed body. A lifetime passed in a few seconds. Ranma had time to think, ‹Oh crap. I forgot to put up the 'occupied' sign.› Then Akane's face changed.

Ranma's eyes had been helplessly fixed on lower sights, but he noticed her expression change, and his eyes lifted and locked with hers. Akane had the same look she had when he had revealed his curse. The look which declared that she was staring at a boy who was without honor, a boy who cared about nothing but his own perverted desires, a boy ruled by his own lust. He would throw her to the floor, tie her up, gag her, ask her if she was 'ready to play' ...

‹_No_!› he screamed inside his head. He fell to his knees, bent over the side of the furo, pressing hands to his eyes. He started pounding a fist on the tiled floor, shouting to himself, ‹No! No! No!› over and over again. Tiles shattered, their shards cutting the side of his hand. He didn't seem to notice. ‹I'm not like them! I'm not!› Droplets of blood started flying.

Akane now stared in horror, frozen anew, her anger forgotten. She saw a spurt of blood shoot from Ranma's arm, and then another. "Oh shit!" she cursed. She ran over, heedless of her nudity, her towel lying forgotten on the floor by the door. "Kasumi!" she screamed as loud as she could. She grabbed Ranma by the wrist, struggling to keep him from pounding further, fingers seeking for the cut she knew was there.

She found it and pressed her fingers over the wound just as Kasumi came running through the door. Akane spoke rapidly, choppily. "I walked in. I got mad. He freaked. He started hitting the floor. One of the pieces cut his wrist."

Kasumi nodded. "I'll get bandages and call Doctor Tofu." She ran back out. There was the sound of hurried voices outside the changing room. She was back in just a couple of minutes.

Kasumi was carrying two robes. She threw one over Akane and the other over Ranma. Holding a piece of adhesive just above Akane's fingers, she taped the edges of the slice together the instant Akane moved her hand. She then slapped on a pad and taped it in place. Akane had taken a moment to slip her hands into the sleeves and tie her robe closed, and pressed on the pad once more.

"Daddy insisted on being the one to call Tofu-sensei. Anyway, he's coming right over," Kasumi now took the time to tell them. "I spoke to father and your teacher. I explained that Ranma-kun fell in the furoba and cut himself, badly. Your teacher said he was very sorry to hear about it, and will try to come back tomorrow or the next day."

Both Kasumi and Akane were watching Ranma, worried that he seemed so unresponsive. Akane chewed on her lip, and struggled to sort through her tangled feelings, pushing down on her instinctive anger. "Ranma ...? I'm sorry I got mad. It was just an accident. I know you didn't really mean to ... see me like that. I just ... it was the shock, you know?"

She had no idea if he even heard her. He certainly gave no sign of doing so. She watched Kasumi begin cleaning up the broken tile and blood. It didn't take long.

"Kasumi?" Akane spoke quietly. "Could you call Mitaka-sensei and tell her what happened? Our appointment's not until tomorrow, but ask her if she thinks we should come in today. That is, if she can fit us in. I'm ... I'm worried."

Kasumi nodded and left. Barely a minute later Soun escorted Tofu Ono into the room. The young doctor quickly took stock of the situation, sending Akane out to get dressed while he dealt with Ranma. She felt strangely reluctant to leave, but had to admit that Doctor Tofu had matters well in hand, and she could hardly hang around wearing a thin robe and nothing else.

With Soun Tendo's help, Tofu finished the job Kasumi had begun by cleaning up the wound, then put several stitches in Ranma's wrist. He also put a couple of stitches along the side of the boy's hand for good measure, bandaging everything up when he was done.

The repairs complete, Tofu and Soun helped Ranma get dressed. It was like they were dressing a large rag doll, not exactly dead weight, but Ranma wasn't precisely helping them either. Once he was decent, Tofu made him get up and walk out to the family room, mostly on his own.

Akane was already there, waiting with worried impatience. She jumped up when Ranma appeared, then took a half step back. It looked like Ranma, but it didn't seem that he was home behind his eyes. Kasumi also chose that moment to step into the room in order to announce that Mitaka-sensei would stay late that day to see Ranma. However, they needed to start on their way immediately in order to get there on time.

At the sight of the eldest Tendo daughter, Tofu spun around a turn and a half until he was facing the fan near the table. Bending toward it and referring to the fan by the name of Tendo-san, he made the suggestion that it might be best if Soun were to go with Akane and Ranma, since it appeared that Ranma wasn't entirely himself.

On their arrival, Mitaka escorted Ranma alone into the inner office, leaving Soun and Akane to sit out in the waiting room for a long time. Akane fidgeted beside her father in nervous silence, wondering whether the maternal therapist was helping her friend. Finally the door opened and he walked out, his eyes looking alive once again if more than a little troubled. He held out his pad to Akane on which he had already written, "Can you forgive me?"

Akane felt tears appear in her eyes. "You baka! Of course I can. I already have, okay? Well, I'm maybe still mad about one thing. Do you know you forgot to put the sign up, dummy?"

Ranma nodded, ashamed.

Akane sighed. "But I know you didn't mean anything bad, and you were just as surprised as me. Let's try to forget it, okay?"

He nodded again, looking a little less depressed.

Mitaka was standing at the inner door, watching this exchange with an inscrutable expression on her face. She now called out, "Akane-san, may I also speak with you for a while?" Akane looked at her in surprise, but nodded and followed her in. The door shut behind them.

Mitaka invited Akane to take a seat before sitting down in the other chair. She paused a moment then said, "I've already had a description of what happened from Ranma-san. But I would like to get your perspective. Could you please tell me about it?"

Akane briefly described events, starting from when she stepped through the door, nude. She was careful to be honest about her thoughts and how she reacted, even though it was all terribly embarrassing. She was worried about Ranma's reaction, and if Mitaka-sensei thought this would help, then she needed to tell her about it.

When Akane finished, the older woman gave her a weary smile. She said, "Well, everything that happened is understandable. It is unfortunate, however. The effect on Ranma-san was ... not beneficial. He felt himself identified with the men who attacked him, and turned his hatred for them upon himself. I have his permission to tell you this, by the way."

Akane looked down at her feet. "It's my fault, isn't it?"

Mitaka responded sincerely, "No, child, no. The situation you went through at school has caused you to react in certain ways to certain stimuli. Ranma-san understands that, and does not blame you. Intellectually, he knows that you do not regard him as being like his attackers. The problem is with the tricky underside of the brain, which doesn't always listen to what we know intellectually."

She frowned and tapped her fingers for a bit before continuing. "The problem is what we do about it. For the most part, you should go on as you have. Any change in routine might reinforce the subconscious notion that you see him as a 'pervert.' Try not to treat him any differently right now.

"Over the next few days it might be useful if you make it clear to him that you see him as a boy, yet still like him. Now, I certainly do _not_ mean that you should try to respond to him in a sexual manner, or by telling him he's handsome, or things like that. What I mean is, if you spot any tendency for him to delay changing back to male outside of training or sleeping, then encourage him to be male. And when he is male, be careful to be just as willing to spend time in his presence as when he is female."

Akane thought about this. The statement about 'making it clear she saw him as a boy' had inspired frightening images about trying to kiss Ranma, and she had been quite relieved by the further explanation. "I'll try very hard, Mitaka-san," she promised. "Is ... is he going to be okay?"

The woman frowned but then nodded. "It is a step back, I'm afraid, but let's not make it out to be worse than it is. Some of the progress he has made, such as interacting with strangers, should not be much affected. What damage occurred was mostly to his self image, yet even so he's still better off in that regard than he was immediately after the attack. It may take a day or so, but he'll regain the ground which was lost.

"However," the therapist informed her sternly, "that assumes there are no further, similar incidents. Therefore, there is another thing that we, meaning you and I, must deal with. As I said, you are not to blame for your reactions, because those reactions have been, in a sense, trained into you. They have become automatic. Which is unfortunate because your friend has come to admire you, your strength and your moral core. If there are any further accidents of the sort which might trigger such a reaction in you, if he should see you looking at him again in that way, as if he were some sort of pervert, it could hinder his recovery significantly."

"But what can I do?" Akane protested. "I don't know how to stop thinking like that!"

Mitaka gave Akane a look as if she were deliberately missing the obvious. "Tendo-san, I _am_ a counselor. Unless you have some reason why you wish to continue to distrust all boys, then you could talk to me about these issues. Will you let me help you? You may find some of the topics we discuss very uncomfortable, but I think the end result will be worth it. What do you say?"

Akane wanted to protest, "But I don't need therapy! There's nothing wrong with me! It's the boys who are sick!" She bit back the words with an effort. In just two sessions she had already come to trust the gentle, mature woman in front of her. If Mitaka-sensei felt that she could help her in some way, then Akane would make the effort to try. When she finally spoke aloud, it was to say, "I guess it couldn't hurt."

As the time passed with no sign of Akane, Ranma found himself glad that her father had come with them. The two were each wrapped up in their own thoughts, but the man's simple presence was a comfort. Quite a change from his initial reaction to the Tendo patriarch, Ranma realized. In any event, he did not really want to be by himself at the moment.

A full hour passed before Akane finally came out of the room. Ranma noticed in confusion that her eyes were a little red and puffy, and wondered if something had upset her. At the same time, she was smiling when she came out, so whatever it was couldn't have been too bad, could it?

Mitaka stepped out as well. "I'll still expect to see both of you tomorrow for your scheduled appointment. Understand?"

"Yes, Mitaka-sensei, we'll be here," Akane answered. "I'm looking forward to talking to you some more."

Ranma also nodded his agreement. They both bowed, then turned to leave. Soun began to follow them, then stopped and called out that he would catch up in a few minutes. He turned back to the therapist.

Soun stumbled over his words a bit. "Do you think ... should we ... keep sharp objects away from Ranma-kun?"

Mitaka smiled ruefully and shook her head. "That won't be necessary, Tendo-san. He didn't try to cut himself on purpose, and he doesn't strike me as being the least suicidal. I am actually fairly pleased with his progress, although of course this little incident was a bit of a setback. I assure you that there is no need to worry about anything like that."

Soun sagged a little, as a tension left him which he hadn't realized he was feeling. "Thank you," he told her, then left to catch up to his daughter and ... he paused in his thoughts. What was Ranma to him? More than a guest, he realized. He chewed on the ends of his mustache as they walked, worrying over this unexpected idea.

When they reached the Tendo home, Ranma breathed a covert sigh of relief. Then he frowned. He hadn't realized until that moment that he considered this place, this house, as a sort of sanctuary, a haven where he could shut the rest of the world out. That just wouldn't do. It was a weakness, and all of his training screamed that any weakness which could be overcome must be. Ranma resolved to start spending more time out and about town. In fact, he wanted to try to be ready to start school next week. Not that he was looking forward to the classes. But he had hopes that being forced to deal with a schoolful of people his age would get him back to normal much faster.

Thinking about this, a pained expression crossed his face. ‹If I really plan to start school next week ...› With a heavy sigh, he went looking for Kasumi, to reluctantly ask if she would give him more tutoring in algebra after his evening session with Akane.

* * *

Akane sighed as she soaked her sore muscles in the hot water of the furo. The evening practice had been less fun than usual. Ranma had refused to spar with her, writing that he was too tired. Akane knew that wasn't true, but she suspected that he couldn't admit that he felt too fragile to risk fighting so soon after what had happened. Instead of sparring, therefore, he had several times run her through the latest kata they had been working on, then made her spend the rest of the time on speed training exercises. All of which was incredibly tedious and boring.

She sighed deeply, thinking once more that she deserved an equal share of the blame for what happened. She looked over the edge of the furo at the missing tiles on the floor and grimaced, realizing that she was able to acknowledge that much only due to the long talk she had with Mitaka-sensei. True, Ranma _had_ forgotten to hang the 'occupied' sign, but he hadn't done it on purpose. She was the one who had failed to notice his clothing in the changing room.

She thought about Ranma sitting in the family room with Kasumi right now, working on math. He seemed determined to be pronounced ready to start school next week. She wondered if some of the rumors would die down once people got to know him, or if they'd only get worse. An unbeckoned image of Ranma standing in the furo appeared to her mind's eye, only to be angrily banished. Akane focused on the horror she had felt when she had realized ... how _much_ of herself Ranma was seeing. Then she pushed that thought away as well, remembering that it wasn't a good idea to dwell on it.

In bed that night, with the sleeping Ranma lying beside her, Akane found herself remembering again how Ranma had looked in the furo. She tried to stop, but it proved difficult. She licked her dry lips. ‹It doesn't mean anything,› Akane reminded herself, ‹just that I'm normal.› She found herself sleepily imagining the scene once more, except in this image Ranma did not notice her entrance, and continued to climb out of the furo and dry himself off.

* * *

It was a busy week, with a lot happening both at school and at home. To start with, a scandal involving a couple of teachers captured the attention of most of the school gossips. Akane was relieved to find that this distracted the other students from pestering her so much about Ranma. She still had to put up with an occasional inappropriate question from a few girls at lunch, but little more. Akane also finally realized something to which her anger over the rumors had blinded her the last few days. After Ranma's attack, the boys had taken to treating her as if she were radioactive. They were scared to do anything which might offend her. She considered this to be a less than ideal development, but still an improvement over their previous behavior.

In their Tuesday session with Mitaka, the therapist discussed with Ranma his desire to begin school soon versus continuing private tutoring at home for a while. Ranma was vehement about starting as soon as possible. He was equally determined that his curse be kept secret. Mitaka argued with him on this point, insisting that at the very least his teachers should know about it, although also expressing concern over what might happen if he were to change by accident and without forewarning in front of his fellow students. In the end she accepted his argument to hide it for a time until his schoolmates could be conditioned to think of him as a male, in exchange for his agreement to reveal the curse to the teachers. This pleased Ranma at having won what he saw as a concession on her part.

As a result of this decision, when the homeroom teacher made a return visit to the Tendo home the next day, Ranma demonstrated the transformation several times for the man. He changed back and forth between his male and female forms until the teacher was finally able to accept the evidence of his eyes. The shaken man agreed to relay the information in confidence to the other teachers.

Ranma managed to get over his bout of nervousness in regard to how to act around Akane in the dojo, and so sparring was once again a part of their training sessions. On Wednesday before school, he asked Akane if he might go along with her on her morning jog. On receiving her permission, he accompanied her that day and every day thereafter, always pushing her to go a little faster and farther.

Later in the week, Kasumi privately told the other family members that in addition to these jogs and walking with herself to places like the market, Ranma was also going out for long walks while Akane and Nabiki were in school. According to Kasumi, he usually looked a little shaky when he returned, but he would go out the next day again regardless.

Also on Wednesday, Kuno returned to school, but Akane barely saw him. In fact, on those occasions when she did spot him, he always seemed to be going in some other direction, and in a hurry to reach his destination. One might almost conclude that he was avoiding her. It was certainly unexpected, but Akane decided she wasn't going to complain.

Kasumi and Akane developed a habit of discussing Ranma during the dinner preparations, once the two younger teens were done with their afternoon training session and he was in the bath. Akane rationalized these talks to herself by claiming that she was just gathering information for her discussions with Mitaka. But when Kasumi happened to mention that she was coming to look upon Ranma like a younger brother, it forced Akane to try to sort out her own feelings.

She knew she considered Ranma to be a friend, but not a friend like Yuka or Sayuri. He was a boy, but maybe that wasn't so terrible after all. Sometimes he annoyed her, especially when he was showing off his martial arts skills which were still so much better than hers. Sometimes he would tease her deliberately, write things that poked fun at her and she would start to get upset. Then there were times that he seemed quietly happy just to be spending time with her. In the end, Akane decided that thinking about it made her head hurt. The only thing she was sure of was that she didn't think of Ranma as her brother.

Nabiki was making progress of her own. She no longer looked uncomfortable when Ranma entered a room she was in. On several occasions she even managed to converse with him normally, such as the sarcastic and joking comments they both made, his written, concerning the contestants in an athletically oriented game show the family watched on television Thursday night.

On Friday afternoon at the conclusion of their session, Mitaka pronounced Ranma ready to return to school on the coming Monday. But with one exception.

"Under no circumstances will you be permitted to participate in gym class," she stated in uncompromising tones. "Not until I decide you're ready. I've already told your gym teacher at Furinkan."

Ranma's jaw dropped in impotent outrage. He immediately began scribbling down a protest, the force of which caused a couple of small rips in the paper. "But that's the one class I'd be good at!" he wrote.

"You might be an excellent athlete, but have you really thought it through?" Mitaka looked him in the eye unwaveringly. "Students wear special uniforms for gym. I think it would be a very bad idea to have you changing clothes in a locker room with all of those other boys. Frankly, I think you would have a hard enough time with that alone, but consider what might happen! Suppose that you were splashed with water under such circumstances, while partially undressed."

Ranma winced at this image. After thinking it over for a minute, he slowly wrote a response and proffered it to her with a hopeful expression. "I could change in the restroom."

Mitaka smiled regretfully and shook her head. "Do you truly wish to be singled out in that way? You will already be set apart by being mute. How would you explain that you won't change clothes with the other boys? Not to mention putting up with the gossip any such explanation would cause."

She sighed. "Besides, that's not my only concern. By its very nature, gym encourages contact sports, especially between males. Even those sports which do not intentionally involve contact, such as basketball, are not free of it. The other boys would be making rapid movements near you, brushing up against you, accidentally running into you. I don't think you are anywhere near ready to deal with such occurrences. Do you?"

Ranma could just picture it. He pictured some boy tackling him while horsing around in gym, as he remembered happening a few times in middle school. He then pictured what he would do as a result, followed by the image of the ambulance in which the boy would ride to the hospital afterward. He shook his head glumly in answer to his therapist's question, unhappily agreeing with her assessment.

The weekend passed by. Sunday night was almost as bad as the one a week ago. Between the two week anniversary of the attack which had robbed him of his speech and confidence, and his natural worries about starting at a new school the next day while still in the process of piecing himself back together, Ranma could not settle down at all. Akane held him close for a long time, soothing his long red hair back from his face and crooning lullabies she barely remembered, before he finally fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

Monday morning began for Ranma with familiar routine. Sparring in the dojo first, followed by a morning jog with Akane, and then a delicious breakfast. Things diverged after that. He dressed in the new school uniform, picked up the school bag containing his textbooks and other supplies and went downstairs. There Kasumi handed him a bento, one which was noticeably larger than Akane's and Nabiki's. Slipping on his shoes, he left the house with the two younger sisters.

Nabiki and Akane chatted a little as they walked. Both girls tried to include him in the conversation, but unfortunately it wasn't very convenient to write on his pad while strolling down the street. He jumped up onto the first fence they reached and continued walking, as much at ease as he had been on the sidewalk. More so, in fact. From up there he had a much better view of his surroundings. He was completely oblivious to the effect his action had on Nabiki. The normally phlegmatic mercenary middle Tendo daughter stopped short and stared at him in astonishment. Akane stopped after a few more steps and looked back at her sister, then looked up to where Nabiki was staring at Ranma. She, of course, was quite used by now to Ranma's habit of seeking the heights, although her reaction had not been so different from Nabiki's the first time he'd done it on the way to the appointment with his therapist.

"Oh!" Akane exclaimed, in a tone of enlightenment. "I guess you haven't had a chance to see Ranma walking up on the fences yet. He does things like that all the time. He says it's important to constantly train your sense of balance, to keep it in top shape." She cast a slightly envious look toward Ranma, where he had stopped to wait. "He also claims that in another week or two, he's going to make me start doing things like that as well. Although he promised to start with walls which are a little wider than that fence."

Nabiki had finally managed to close her mouth, and chuckled at the last part of what Akane said. "You mind if I take bets on how often you fall down the first week?"

A piece of paper fluttered down past Nabiki's nose, and she snatched it out of the air. It said, "Put me down for three times, one thousand yen."

Nabiki looked up at the boy above them. "You sure?" she choked out. Ranma nodded. "Okay ... and thanks. That'll help me set the odds."

Akane pouted. "I can't _believe_ you two are betting over me like that. Now come on, I don't want to be late today."

Ranma jumped down at an approaching intersection. He saw a familiar gate coming up. ‹She's not going to get me today,› he told himself firmly. He approached the gate slowly, extending his senses. He poked his nose around the edge. No sign of her. He looked all the way around, carefully, while Akane and Nabiki stared and wondered what he was doing. Finally, with an air of relief, Ranma walked on. And was promptly nailed by a splash from the ladle.

The red-haired girl spun around and glared at the old woman. ‹I swear, she _must_ have been trained as a ninja,› he groused. Unable to properly vent his rage on one of her advanced years, Ranma turned back around and stomped off toward Tofu's clinic, as he had on each of the previous occasions when this happened during his walks. Every time he passed that particular gate. No matter what time of day, or which direction. Every time.

Nabiki saw no reason to wait for him and end up late for school, so she continued on her way. Akane, however, accompanied Ranma to Tofu's clinic, for the splash of hot water which allowed him to become male again. Then they ran for school, arriving shortly before the bell rang. Akane thought with relief that it was a good thing the hentai horde and Kuno no longer attacked her in the morning, or else they would have been late for sure.

Ranma saw a sign reading "1-F" outside the classroom door they entered. Akane marched up to the boy sitting at the desk beside hers and spoke a single word, "Move." He looked up at her face, then gathered his things and went to sit at a previously unused desk. Akane motioned Ranma to sit where the other boy had been, then took her own seat at the desk to his right.

When the teacher entered the classroom a few seconds after the bell, he looked over in Ranma's direction. "Ah, yes. Class, we have a new student joining us today. If you could please stand and introduce yourself?"

Ranma stood, but gave the teacher a disgusted look. Akane said, "Sensei ..." in a tone that caused the man to flush in embarrassment.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm afraid I forgot," he apologized. "Tendo-san, perhaps you could introduce him?"

Akane also stood. "This is Ranma-kun. He is staying as a guest at my house. He's a skilled martial artist, as _some_ of you have good cause to be aware." Several of the boys flinched. "He is also, unfortunately, unable to speak. He can hear and understand you perfectly well, but he must write things down to communicate with you."

"Thank you, Tendo-san," the teacher said. "Please resume your seats, and everyone take out your textbook and turn to page ..."

* * *

The classes were as boring and tedious as Ranma had envisioned, and he had trouble staying awake. Lunch came as a welcome relief. He grabbed his bento and headed outside, then hesitated. He saw Akane sitting down with some other girls, and felt that he shouldn't intrude.

A couple of boys saw him standing there, and waved for him to come over and join them. With a sense of relief he did so, hoping they would prove to be okay guys, and not the sort of perverted jerks that Akane complained about. He opened his bento, then delighted his taste buds with the results of Kasumi's efforts.

As the food disappeared, one of the boys leaned over and asked, "So are you and Tendo-san a couple? Man, you are sooooo lucky. Have you gotten to second base with her yet?"

Ranma froze, and the boy who had not yet spoken edged away as he realized that the new kid was _glowing_. Striking like a snake, Ranma grabbed the front of the first boy's shirt, and stood up, lifting him off his feet. The collar tightened around the boy's neck, choking him.

"Sorry ... sorry ..." he managed to gasp out.

Half the school population was out in the yard, and all eyes turned to where Hiroshi was dangling several centimeters above the ground, with his face slowly turning blue. Akane cursed, making a pretty good guess about the sort of thing Hiroshi might have said, and ran over.

"Ranma! Ranma, stop it! Whatever he said, it's not worth it!" Ranma looked at her, stubbornly, his arm not wavering. Akane grabbed his arm, not budging it. "Dammit! Listen to me! Hiroshi, whatever you said, take it back!"

"I ... take it ... back," the boy choked. "Never ... say it ... again."

Ranma glared at him, then put him on his feet and spun him around to face Akane. Hiroshi gasped in air, but found that iron hard fingers were holding his arms, preventing him from fleeing. Akane looked puzzled as she realized that Ranma was forcing Hiroshi to face her. She looked at the boy and said, "Ranma seems to want you to say something to me."

Hiroshi flushed, and panic made his knees weak. How the hell had he gotten himself into this? The fingers dug into his arms, painfully. "I ... I'm afraid ... I said something stupid. I'm very sorry. I promise that I'll never say anything improper about you again, Tendo-san."

Akane sighed. While she herself might be prone to violence where the jerks at school were concerned, Ranma's reaction was a little _too_ extreme. She resolved to speak to Mitaka-sensei about it at their appointment the next day. "Your apology is accepted, for now. I strongly suggest you not repeat your mistake."

Hiroshi shook his head violently from side to side. Ranma finally released him, and the boy ran off as fast as he could. Akane gave Ranma a long look, then shook her head, and went back to join her friends.

Ranma sat back down, then raised his eyebrows as the other boy sat beside him again. Daisuke figured that, by sheer dumb-ass luck, he was in the clear. Hiroshi had stuck his foot in it before he himself had a chance to speak. His curiosity won out over his fear, as he figured he was safe so long as he didn't say anything inappropriate about Akane.

"So ... Ranma?" Daisuke began. "You have any name besides Ranma? I'm Daisuke by the way, and the jerk you choked was Hiroshi."

Ranma shook his head. He pulled out his pad and wrote, "Just Ranma."

"Where'd you live before you came here?" Daisuke asked.

Ranma wrote, "All over. No permanent home. Four months in China before Nerima."

"China? Cool!" After a moment he asked, "Are you really that good at martial arts?"

Ranma smiled and wrote, "I'm the best."

Daisuke cocked an eyebrow. "Even better than Akane, er, Tendo-san? I mean, she's really, really good."

Ranma thought about this before writing. "Tendo-san is very good. I'm training her."

The boy beside him exclaimed, "Wow! Everyone's gonna be interested to hear that, I'll tell you." He paused, then went on hesitantly. "Now, I'm not gonna say anything bad about Tendo-san, and I don't want to make you angry, but ... are you and she a couple?"

Ranma shook his head and wrote, "No. Just friends." He hesitated, then wrote more. "She is special. No one better say anything wrong about her. Tell them for me."

Daisuke looked around. Many people were watching them nervously. "I, uh, kinda think they already got the message."

* * *

That afternoon on leaving school, Ranma had to expend considerable effort trying to cajole Akane out of her apologetic mood. She kept looking at the bandage on his face and wincing. He had already explained that it wasn't her fault. Yes, she had hit the ball which had struck him in the face while he was sitting out the gym class on the sidelines, but he should have been more alert and dodged or caught it.

Akane finally started to listen to him and settle down while she sat in the clinic watching Doctor Tofu treat the injury. Unfortunately, this was shortly followed by Ranma's first opportunity to witness the doctor in full-blown Kasumi-induced insanity, to which he fell unfortunate victim. His head remained bent at an unnatural angle for over an hour until one of Akane's blows got through during sparring and happened to straighten it out.

School sorted itself out much faster than either Akane or Ranma had feared. The other boys _did_ get the message, and carefully avoided certain topics in Ranma's hearing. Kuno kept his distance, which Ranma hoped meant the older boy had chosen the better part of valor, but the truth was that Kuno had not yet decided how he would attempt to deal with the "demon." The other students were fascinated by Ranma's martial arts skills, and plied him with safe questions on that subject, along with requests for demonstrations.

In spite of the care he took, there were a couple of accidents at school involving Ranma's curse. But as there were no direct witnesses Akane was able to do some fast talking on both occasions to keep people from becoming suspicious. They might have worried a little more if they knew that Kuno had put his own interpretation on the incidents.

Ranma also had to concentrate hard to maintain a calm facade in the middle of the press of people at the school. Luckily, no one twigged to his small nervous twitches when boys made sudden motions around him. Ruefully, Ranma had to concede that Mitaka had been right that he wouldn't have been ready to handle participating in gym class.

Nabiki had, teasingly, threatened to sell the information at school that Ranma and Akane were sleeping in the same bed. She had nearly wet herself at suddenly finding Ranma's eyes two centimeters in front of hers, with a low grumbling growl coming from deep in his throat. She had hastily explained that she was, of course, only joking, and would never do anything like that to her dear little sister. Akane said nothing but she knew better and resolved to keep a very close eye indeed on her _dear_ older sister.

Unfortunately for the mercenary middle Tendo, it was only the next day after this incident that Ranma learned from one of his classmates that Nabiki had been selling photographs of Akane to the boys at school, including Kuno. He immediately sought her out, extracted a stack of unsold pictures which were still in her possession, picked her up with one arm around her stomach so she was dangling horizontally above the ground, and carried her all the way home. He dropped her in front of Kasumi and held out the photographs he had confiscated, as both an explanation and a condemnation. Turning on his heel, he went back to school, leaving Nabiki to the very thorough and well-deserved scolding she had earned.

Much later, alone in her room and in disgrace, Nabiki found herself feeling most thankful that the photos of Akane she had sold were all reasonably decent. Just shots of her working out, wearing a gi. She was even more thankful that she had not yet made up her mind about selling some of the photographs she had taken of Ranma's girl side. She quietly destroyed those, with no one the wiser.

* * *

The last bell had rung on Thursday of that week, and students were pouring out of the school. Hiroshi was the first one out of the gate, barely in advance of the crowd, when a hand picked him up and pushed him against the wall, trapping him there. The arm holding him was attached to a boy of about his age, heavily muscled and covered in dust. Hiroshi moaned, thinking that this just wasn't his week.

"You there!" said the one holding him in a voice devoid of patience. "Can you tell me where I might find Furinkan High School?"

Hiroshi blinked, then turned his head to the side to confirm that yes, he was being held right beside the sign which read, "Furinkan High School."

"Um, this is Furinkan High School," he got out.

"Yes, at last I've found it!" The strange boy shouted this to the heavens and barked a grim laugh, a light of anticipation in his eye. He turned back to Hiroshi. "And can you tell me where I might find Ranma Saotome?"

Hiroshi answered, "Um, there's a new kid named Ranma, but I don't know any other name for him. I've never heard the name Saotome."

His assailant snorted, "It must be him! Where is he?"

Hiroshi turned his head to look the other way, through the gate. He pointed. The other boy's eyes followed, and a fanged grin appeared. Hiroshi found himself dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Ranma was walking beside Akane toward the school gate when he sensed imminent danger. He shoved her to the side, then jumped away himself just before a boy landed atop an umbrella where Ranma had been standing. The ground exploded under the impact, leaving a crater.

People stopped and stared. The unknown boy stood up, closed his umbrella, and pointed it at Ranma. Ranma stood with fists clenched in front of him. This jackass might have hurt Akane!

The boy holding the umbrella spoke loudly. "At last I've found you! Because of you, I've seen hell! Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"

Akane's eyes swiveled around from the stranger to Ranma in shock. ‹Ranma _Saotome_? Wasn't Saotome the name of daddy's friend, the one who's supposed to have a son named Ranma? What's going on?›

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stay tuned for chapter 4, "The Truth Comes Out."

I plan to henceforth add the following note to the bottom of all chapters/stories which I post to FFnet, similar to how I always put the same disclaimer at the top of them.

Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site and LiveJournal site. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time.


	4. The Truth Comes Out

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 4. The Truth Comes Out**

Ranma wilted under Akane's stare. He knew that she was confused due to the other boy calling him by name, but for now it looked like he had a fight on his hands. He couldn't afford to let himself be distracted by worrying over what she was thinking. Focusing on the person confronting him, Ranma thought, ‹Who is this guy? What's his problem?›

The other boy shouted, "You won't answer me? Fine then. Take this!" He snapped his umbrella open and threw it.

Ranma watched the umbrella fly through the air toward him like a demented Frisbee. He leaned to the side and let it pass him by. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as it sliced through a sapling, but he kept most of his attention on his opponent. A sense of exhilaration filled him. A challenge! And one that carried no sexual overtones, none of the disturbing imagery which had been preying on his mind for the last two and a half weeks. He felt himself settling into the familiarity of a martial arts combat like slipping on a well-worn glove.

His attacker pulled a couple of bandannas off of his head and snapped them out straight. He threw them, sending them spinning through the air at Ranma who leaped over one, while twisting to duck under the other. He came down on his fingertips, then pushed off of the ground to jump above the umbrella, which was returning to its owner, still flying.

Ranma followed it. As the umbrella reached the boy's hand Ranma kicked it, knocking it away. He followed up immediately with a jab to the stranger's chest, which sent him sprawling. The unknown boy climbed to his feet then paused in astonishment, staring down at a piece of paper that was stuck to his chest. He pulled it off and looked at it.

"Who are you?" it read.

"Do you mock me, Saotome?" the boy shouted. "You ran out on our duel last December! Because of you I've seen hell! I'm here for revenge!" He threw two more bandannas and charged after them.

Daisuke had walked over to the umbrella in curiosity, and bent over to pick it up. He was unable to budge it. "What's with this umbrella?" he asked of no one in particular. "It must weigh a ton!"

Akane came over quickly. She was able to lift it, much to Daisuke's chagrin, but it took enormous effort. "Ranma!" she shouted. "Don't close with him! He has the strength of a monster!"

"Heh, heh!" the boy chuckled nastily. "Looks like you found out ... too late!" He punched several times, but Ranma dodged all of them, insultingly holding his hands behind his back.

When his attacker next kicked, Ranma leaped over him entirely. He pulled out his pad and scribbled hastily, then slapped the paper over his opponent's face when the boy turned. The boy grabbed it off his face, snarling, then looked at it. It just said, "Ryoga?"

Ryoga looked up, still snarling. "Of course I'm Ryoga Hibiki, you fool!" He charged once more, and Ranma jumped over him again. Ryoga smiled as he continued forward toward Akane, where he grabbed his umbrella from her. He looked around rapidly in every direction, except directly behind himself where Ranma was standing. "Curse you, Saotome! You run away again?" He ran out the school gate, calling down imprecations on Ranma's head.

Akane walked up to Ranma. "Um, who was that?"

Ranma started writing, and Akane read over his shoulder. "Ryoga Hibiki. Went to middle school together. Worse sense of direction ever. Walked him from his house to school and back, so he didn't get lost. Supposed to have a duel. Waited three days. He didn't show up."

Akane exclaimed, "Three _days_!"

Ranma shrugged. He turned back a page and underlined the words, "Worse sense of direction."

"Riiiighhhht," she said. "Now for the big question. _Saotome_?"

Akane watched his eyes change. He clearly didn't want to answer this, and she saw his tongue come out and lick across his lips. His shoulders drooped. Finally he wrote, "Tell you at home. Others should know."

Akane nodded. "Fair enough. Let's go." She looked around for her sister, spotting her off to one side with a number of other students. Money was exchanging hands. Akane shouted, "Nabiki! Family meeting! We won't wait for you!"

Nabiki looked up in annoyance from the enjoyable task of settling bets on the fight which had taken place, or almost taken place. Seeing that the other two were in fact leaving without her, she quickly finished up, then ran after them.

* * *

Not much later, they were all seated in the family room at the Tendo home, Soun and Kasumi having joined the other three at Akane's request. As soon as everyone was in place around the table, Akane pounced, "So, is your name really Ranma Saotome?"

Her father reacted visibly, starting and staring at the young man with an expression of astonishment. He hardly dared breathe as he awaited the answer.

Ranma nodded, looking highly embarrassed. He started writing, handing each sheet to Akane as he finished with it. She read them aloud.

"Yes. My father is Genma Saotome. He trained me. Already told you - don't want to see him again. Don't want to be associated with him.

"Breathe a heavy sigh before the next part." Akane stopped and looked up. "Cute," she said, her tone sarcastic. She continued reading. "After my 'talks' with Mitaka-sensei, I think I may be acting unfair. About pop, I mean. He does have a lot of faults, though.

"We both fell in at Jusenkyo. He turns into a panda bear." Akane stopped again. "Really?" she asked. Ranma nodded. She shook her head in bemusement, then continued reading. "We got back to Japan the day before you met me. I was very angry about the curse.

"Then he said something which made me much angrier."

As Akane read this, Ranma was staring right into Soun Tendo's eyes. The girls' father guessed what that something was likely to be. He swallowed nervously at the look in Ranma's eyes, and it began to dawn on him that attempting to force Ranma into marrying one of his daughters right now, particularly so soon after the attack upon the boy, might not be the healthiest decision that he could make.

Akane was still reading. "We fought. I knocked him out. I left a false trail to suggest I went back to China.

"He had two train tickets for Nerima. I took them. Figured it was the last place he'd look for me. Thought Tokyo would be a big place to lose myself in.

"I never meant to come to your home. Didn't even know your name, just that pop had an 'old friend' in Nerima. Then that damn cat scared me. You know what happened after that."

Akane looked up as she finished reading. Kasumi asked, "But why didn't you tell us your full name?"

Ranma wrote and handed it over. "I blamed pop for everything. Hated him, really bad. Getting over it, with help from Mitaka-sensei. Also, wasn't sure how your father would react."

"Our father?" Kasumi questioned. "Why would you be worried about our father's reaction?"

"Er, Kasumi," Soun cleared his throat. He thought fast. "Since he hated his father at the time, and all he knew of me is that I was supposed to be a friend of his father, is that really so surprising?" He gave a little hollow laugh.

The girls were all regarding their father with open suspicion. "Are you sure there's nothing else, dad?" Nabiki asked him sharply.

They turned as they saw Ranma nod his head. He wrote and handed it to Akane. "Yes, there is something else. Not sure how to say it. Can I have some time? I want to think about it first." He felt a little cowardly asking for the delay, but he couldn't face dropping that little bombshell at the moment. Besides, his father was a notorious liar. It occurred to Ranma that he should confirm with Soun that the agreement existed before mentioning it to Akane and her sisters.

"Well, I suppose it's okay, as long as you tell us soon," Akane told him with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "_Real_ soon. It's not fair for you to keep secrets from us, when we've taken you in like this."

Ranma nodded to show he understood.

"All right, baka," she said. "Now, how about we head out to the dojo? I think I've almost got that move down." The little meeting broke up, each heading in their own direction.

Once Akane and Ranma were in the dojo, and Nabiki was up in her room, Soun joined his remaining daughter in the kitchen. "Kasumi-chan, may I speak with you?"

"Yes, father, of course," she answered, turning around. "What is it?"

He went on nervously. "It's about what Ranma isn't saying yet. You see, the thing is, Saotome and I, we had, sort of, this little agreement, concerning the future."

"What sort of agreement, daddy?"

"Er, well, ha ha, you see ..." He blurted out the remaining words. "Ranma is supposed to marry one of my daughters, to unite the Saotome and Tendo schools."

Kasumi stared at him as the words sank in. Then she put a hand out for support, leaning on the counter, as she struggled against a wave of dizziness. "Oh my! That ... that ... I think that might be a very bad idea, under the circumstances."

"Yes, so I thought," Soun admitted. "Especially given what he did to the boys at school that first week. It might be, er, unhealthy, to try to tell him he must do this because of his father's promise. Although ... he and Akane do seem to be getting along fairly well, don't you think?" he asked in a small, wistful voice.

Kasumi reached out and picked up a small wooden mallet she occasionally used in food preparation. She turned back around and tapped her father on the top of the head with it, hard enough to raise a bump. He exclaimed in pain, backing away and furiously rubbing the spot.

"I _meant_ that it might be a bad idea for Akane's and Ranma's sakes," his daughter told him tartly, "not because of what he might do to _you_. Ranma-kun has major problems right now with anything _remotely_ connected to sexual matters. You are _not_ going to try to force him into a marriage, do you understand me? Also, Mitaka-sensei is only just starting to help Akane deal with the issues she has with boys. So she's not ready for you to push her into any such thing, either."

Soun tried to speak, but she rolled right over top of him. "The two of them are slowly developing a friendship, which I think will help them both a lot. If you start talking to them about marriage, you could destroy everything! So help me, if you do any such thing, I ... I ... I'll make you eat Akane's cooking every day from now until she graduates from _high school_!"

Soun turned white as milk. "But I'm pretty sure Ranma already knows about it!" he protested. "We can't keep it a secret!"

Kasumi considered. Her father was probably right about that, and Akane in particular would be hurt if she discovered this later and found that it had been kept secret from her. But the situation seemed fraught with disastrous consequences. Kasumi took a deep breath, as her thoughts shifted from distress to resolution. Her threat a moment ago had been a spur of the moment reaction, only meant half seriously. Now she made a deliberate decision, for the family's sake, even for her father's sake, to do the one thing she most preferred to avoid. Kasumi took another deep breath, then drew herself up, as she prepared to take a stand against her father.

"I guess, no, you _are_ right. We cannot keep this a secret. But I am going to put my foot down about attempting to carry out any such plans. I want you to swear to me, right now, that you will never attempt to force Akane, or Ranma, or any of us, to marry anyone we do not choose."

"But Kasumi-chan ..."

She rapped him with the small mallet once again, and he hopped around in pain. "No! I mean this, father. I want your promise, sworn on our mother's memory! Or shall I ask Akane to help with dinner? And perhaps suggest to Ranma-kun that _you_ were the one who talked his father into this idea in the first place."

Soun broke, trembling visibly and with tears springing to his eyes. "Agreed. I agree. I promise, none of you will marry except by your wish. Only, perhaps we can ... _encourage_ ... Akane to notice Ranma's good points? And vice versa?"

Kasumi crossed her arms over her chest, glaring forbiddingly at him. "No father. I've already told you that they are becoming friends. You had best be satisfied with that. If you try to push them into anything more, you're more likely to push them apart. If it's meant to be, then they'll come to that decision for themselves."

"I suppose," Soun ground out, dissatisfied. On the other hand, putting aside his dream, at least temporarily, was easier than facing the prospect of slow death by poisoning. Nor did he wish to risk facing the neko-ken up close and personal. As a member of the town council, he had seen a report on the injuries which had been suffered by the boys at the school.

Kasumi allowed the tension to drain back out of her. "I'll tell Akane and Nabiki about it before dinner, after Akane and Ranma come back in. I think that you might wish to go out for a while. In fact, it might be safer if you eat out tonight. If Akane has any ... outburst of temper, she'll probably be over it by the time you get back. You'll be on your own with Nabiki, however. If she should take it wrong ..."

Her father shivered. His middle daughter could hold a grudge for a long time, smiling at you all the while, and you'd never guess until some fateful day when she finally decided to act. He wished that Saotome were here to share this burden with him. It had all been his idea in the first place, after all, even though it had seemed a good one at the time. Choosing what seemed the safest course, he quietly slipped out of the house.

* * *

At that very moment, a panda bear in China shaded its eyes and stared at the Bayankala mountains on the horizon. So far, he hadn't picked up a single rumor of the boy. He was sure, however, that Jusenkyo would bring answers. Whatever his ungrateful son had in mind, he was sure to start by going to Jusenkyo.

* * *

When she heard Akane and Ranma come back in from the dojo, Kasumi decided to put off the discussion a little longer, until she could speak privately with her sisters. Once Akane was finished in the furoba, and Ranma was safely ensconced therein, Kasumi asked Akane and Nabiki to join her in the kitchen. The three sisters sat around the table, the two younger looking at Kasumi with curious interest.

"I have had a little talk with daddy," she announced finally. "It seems that he and Ranma's father had ... an agreement. Concerning our families."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Why do I get the feeling this won't be the smartest plan I ever heard?" She shook her head. "Okay, let's hear it. What sort of agreement did our illustrious father make?"

Kasumi took a deep breath. "First of all, daddy has _sworn_ to me that this agreement will _not_ be enforced. Please try to keep that in mind." She fixed Akane with a steely gaze. "No one is going to force anyone into anything."

Girding herself for the potential reactions of her sisters, Kasumi cast her eyes heavenward seeking inspiration. Finding none, she returned her gaze upon them. "You remember Daddy said that he and Saotome-san trained together when they were younger? It seems they decided to join their two schools of martial arts. And they felt that the best way to accomplish this was for Ranma-kun to marry one of us."

"_What_!" Akane shouted, rising from her chair.

"Akane! Please control your temper," Kasumi scolded. "I told you, no one is going to be forced into anything. ..."

Akane interrupted, the volume of her voice scarcely any lower than before. "But for him to come here, knowing that and planning ..."

"Akane, please!" Kasumi's voice was as loud as Akane's, shocking the younger sister into silence. Kasumi took a deep breath and went on in measured tones. "That Ranma is here at all is a tremendous coincidence. You certainly don't believe that Ranma arranged for the attack upon himself, do you? Or that he somehow maneuvered you into being there at just the right moment to help?"

Akane flushed. "Well, no ...," she admitted, grudgingly.

"I am telling you this," Kasumi went on, "because it would be wrong to keep it secret from you any longer. But it is no longer of consequence, since daddy has agreed not to insist on it. No one is going to tell Ranma he must marry one of us. No one is going to tell you, or Nabiki, or me, that any of us has to marry Ranma."

"Are you sure he won't change his mind again?" Nabiki drawled. "That the day won't come when daddy _will_ want to see the arrangement fulfilled?"

Kasumi sent her a quelling look. "He _swore_ this to me, Nabiki. I believe we have enough troubles in the present, without borrowing trouble concerning the future. Besides, you, Akane and Ranma, at least, are too young to be thinking about marriage and I ..." She stopped, hesitated a moment, then started over. "Who knows how the situation may change two or three years from now?"

Akane sat there glaring. How could he have kept this from her? She thought of all those nights he, she, he had slept beside her. All that time he knew that her father might want the two of them to get married. Had he been thinking about that? Had he been using it as an opportunity to see what it would be like if they were forced to marry? Had it been some sort of test to him, where he'd finally tell them the truth if she passed?

Kasumi regarded her youngest sister warily. "Akane. Do you blame Ranma for all of this?"

The younger girl looked into her older sister's worried eyes. She slowly stopped hyperventilating, taking several deep, calming breaths. "About the arranged marriage, I ... guess not. But he should have _told_ us. Told us the truth. How could he keep something like that from us?"

Nabiki shook her head, hiding her smirk. Her younger sister was always so forthright about everything, always plowing through things instead of going around. She didn't understand secrets, or the careful parceling of information. However, Nabiki forbore to comment, allowing Kasumi to handle the situation.

Kasumi attempted to do so, speaking calmly and rationally. "I think we'll need to ask Ranma instead of trying to guess what was going through his mind. Still, after what happened to him, I imagine the idea that he might have been forced into a marriage must have been rather frightening. He couldn't know that father would agree to call it off."

Nabiki gazed at Akane. "Yeah, after he met _you_, I bet he was _terrified_ he'd be forced into it," she said teasingly. Kasumi gave her a hard glance with pinched lips, but the middle Tendo sister smiled unrepentantly and lifted one shoulder negligently.

Akane's scowl barely diminished after Kasumi's words, and Nabiki's addendum was certainly of no help. "Hmmph!" was her only response.

Kasumi turned to look out the door into the hallway, and sighed. "I believe Ranma has finished his bath. I had hoped ... well, I suppose we had better get it over with."

As Ranma walked down the hall past the kitchen door, he stopped at the sound of a throat being cleared. Looking around, he swallowed heavily at the sight of three pairs of eyes pinning him in place. Kasumi crooked a finger, motioning for him to join them. With extreme reluctance, Ranma entered the room and sat in the chair Nabiki pulled out.

Kasumi opened with. "We've just been discussing something our father told me while you and Akane were training. Ranma-kun, would I be correct if I guessed the other thing you wanted to tell us concerns the agreement between our father and yours?"

Ranma's shoulders slumped, knowing now why they had all been looking at him like that. A few seconds passed while he wrote, then he tore the sheet off and handed it to Kasumi. She read aloud, "Yes. Wasn't sure how to tell you. Never meant to come here in the first place."

He was writing more while she read. "I ran away when I found out. You can't imagine how surprised I was when I discovered whose home I was in."

He handed her another sheet, grinning. Kasumi read, "Shocked speechless, you might say."

Nabiki snorted at the lame joke. Kasumi smiled gently, then told him, "I imagine it will please you to know that father has agreed to ... set aside this dream - fantasy - of his. You will not be forced to marry one of us."

None of the sisters missed the look of dawning hope in Ranma's eyes. Kasumi gave him a small smile and a wink. Akane was regarding him in puzzlement. Did he expect them to believe that he hadn't been thinking about it? Forcing her, one of them, to marry him, once he decided whether she measured up?

Shaking herself free from these thoughts, Akane came back to his initial decision to keep it all a secret. She bit out the word, "So," and waited for him to turn his full attention on her. Akane then inquired accusingly, "Why didn't you tell me ... us? Who you are?"

Ranma bent over his pad and wrote for a couple of minutes. While he did so, he felt a sudden revelation, that there was an advantage to his muteness. It forced him to take the time to think over his words, rather than just saying the first thing that popped into his mouth, usually without consulting his brain first.

Akane took the sheet he handed her, reading aloud. "I honestly didn't think it mattered. I didn't come here to marry you, I never expected to come here at all. I didn't think your dad would guess who I was. Besides, I knew that no girl would ever want to marry me, with this curse. Didn't think it would ever come up."

"Well guess what, baka?" Akane sneered. "It did." She settled back in her chair, arms crossed, looking cross.

Ranma wrote some more, then handed the sheet to Akane. She blushed as she looked it over, and refused to read it aloud. The words he wrote were, "I didn't come here to marry you. But I'm not sorry you showed up in the alley that night. You were the most wonderful sight I had ever seen."

"Any other secrets we should know about, Ranma-kun?" Nabiki asked, a trace of amusement in her voice, wondering what he had written to her little sister.

Ranma appeared to think about it for a bit, then wrote. "Lots of things in my life I haven't told you yet. Nothing that involves you, I think. Of course, with my pop, who can say? If there is anything, it's a secret from me, too. Your dad might have a better idea than me."

Nabiki looked briefly stunned. "You know, I believe you may have something there, Ranma-kun. I think I may just make a point of grilling daddy on what else he and your father may have got up to in their carefree youth. I'd rather not have any more surprises."

* * *

Dinner that night was a tense affair, with Akane eating her meal in total silence, clearly deep in thought. Ranma also seemed withdrawn. As the girls' father had disappeared, the only conversation was between Nabiki and Kasumi.

After the meal was finished, Ranma went up to his room to work on an assignment. A few minutes later Akane walked in, to stand beside his desk with her arms crossed. The look she gave him was an unhappy one, and the boy found himself biting his lower lip nervously for a moment until he realized what he was doing. He cocked his head to one side questioningly, inviting her to speak.

Akane sighed. "It's about tonight. Where you'll sleep." Ranma looked uneasy. Akane continued, sounding cross. "I'm still bothered, a _lot_, that you didn't tell me about this marriage business. When I think about you lying beside me all those nights, when you knew that our fathers expected you to marry one of us ..."

She looked down at the floor for a moment, fists clenched. When she lifted her face again, she was back to looking sad, and hurt. "You should have told me," she whispered. "I can't stop picturing you lying in my bed, thinking about it."

Ranma looked angry for a moment, but that was only an automatic reaction to her accusation. In truth he'd been feeling guilty, worried about how she was taking it. Her opinion meant everything to him. His features shifted until he was looking as sad as the girl standing over him. Ranma slowly pulled out his pad and wrote. "I didn't think about it. Didn't plan to ever tell who I was. Figured one day your dad would tell me it was time to move on."

The next sheet he handed her read, "What would you have done if I had told you?"

Akane pulled at her long hair, grimacing. "_I_ don't know!" She thought about it. Reluctantly, she admitted, "If you had told me right away, before I got to know you better, I probably would have assumed you were up to something coming here. It would have been a lot harder to trust you."

She paused again before adding, "But finding out like this, finding out you were keeping a secret like that ... that makes it hard to trust you too."

Ranma wrote for a minute then handed her another sheet. "Doesn't sound like I could win. If I had any clue you'd find out, I hope I'd have told you. But I thought I was just passing through. Expected to leave after I got better."

Akane snorted. "At least you're honest enough to admit you're not sure you would have told us." She hesitated, then went on in a rush. "I just don't think I'd be comfortable with you sleeping in my bed tonight. I think you should sleep here, in the guest room. Okay?"

Akane felt a lump form in her throat at the sad look in his eyes, the smile which was clearly pasted on for her benefit. He nodded his head, then turned back to his homework, unable to bear the pain in her eyes any more. She watched him for a few moments more, indecisive, before she turned and left the room.

For the rest of that evening Akane worried over her decision. She had done the right thing. She was sure of it. Hadn't she? Conversations with Mitaka-sensei kept drifting through her head, troubling her thoughts. She went out to the dojo for a while to break some bricks, but it didn't seem to help.

When Akane finally lay down in her bed that night, a bed which felt unaccountably empty, she couldn't stop thinking about Ranma by himself down the hall. She felt guilty, like she was being unfair to him, even though she told herself that he was the one who had been unfair.

She decided that she felt guilty in part because he still had nightmares. They were less frequent and severe these days, but what if that were so due to her presence? What if he had one tonight? He'd be in pain that she could have prevented. Did she want that? After all, in all honesty, this mess had been caused by their fathers, not Ranma. And as Ranma had pointed out, very rightly she had to admit, no matter what he had decided to do, she would have had a hard time dealing with it.

Akane grumbled and blamed Mitaka-sensei for her restlessness. Together they had been examining her feelings, talking about why she felt the way she did about things. Now look at the result! Here she was worrying about whether she was being fair to Ranma, instead of just rolling over and getting a good night's sleep!

She found herself trying to see things from another person's point of view, an unfamiliar sensation for her. What would she have done, in Ranma's place, knowing what he knew? It was disconcerting in the extreme to come to the conclusion that she might have done exactly the same thing.

Okay, according to Kasumi their father had promised not to force them to go through with that _stupid_ agreement. She certainly wasn't thinking about marrying Ranma. Did she really think that Ranma might have some secret plan to try to go through with the marriage? No, despite what she had said, and thought, in the heat of the moment, she was sure she knew him well enough by now to say with certainty he had no such plans. Frankly, he was pretty poor at hiding his emotions.

Given all that ... perhaps she'd been a bit hasty forcing him to sleep on his own tonight? Maybe if there were other reasons for it ... but it really was rather unfair for the reasons she had given, wasn't it? He still needed her, right? He'd be lonely, right? He might have trouble falling asleep, and might even be more likely to have a nightmare just because she wasn't there. And it would all be her fault.

Having achieved this rationalization, Akane climbed back out of bed, jaw set with determination. She stopped in the bathroom to get a glass of water for gender changing purposes. As the glass filled, she caught sight of her own face in the mirror.

"What's he going to think?" she asked herself. She snorted. "Probably 'That crazy girl can't make up her mind.' He might be right." She sighed. "I want to trust him. He didn't do anything so bad, did he? I wouldn't have wanted to bring up an arranged marriage either. He expected Daddy to kick him out someday." She gave herself a tortured grin. "So you kicked him out instead. Way to go. That must've been a great boost to his self confidence."

Shaking her head at the thought, Akane turned off the water which was now overflowing the glass. She padded down the hall, knocked lightly at the door of the guest room and slipped inside. Ranma sat up, looking at her with wary curiosity, obviously still wide awake.

Akane put down the glass and knelt beside Ranma's futon, touching her fingertips together nervously. "I've, uh, I've been doing some more thinking," she began. Taking a deep breath, she went on, "Actually, I, uh, had a long talk with myself and ... I know I said I didn't trust you, but ... well, maybe I trust you more than I thought. There's part of me that says I ought to be really angry with you over this. I don't know ... the rest of me seems to be having trouble giving in to that sort of righteous fury."

The girl shook her head from side to side and lifted one corner of her mouth crookedly in what might have been an attempt at a smile. "Between the morning attacks ending, our work in the dojo, and my talks with Mitaka-sensei, I seem to have more trouble staying angry these days." For a brief moment the smile became real, giving her an impish look. "Who'd have thought it?" Her expression turned serious again. "Look the truth is ... I guess I'm not as bothered as I felt I ought to be. About you sleeping in my bed. I'm not sure you're ready to be by yourself at night yet. I've decided that maybe I ... overreacted. Just a little."

Akane lifted the glass and held it out. "So what do you say? Will you come back to my room with me?"

Ranma hunted around for a moment before locating his pad. Truthfully, he'd been feeling nervous lying in the room in the dark by himself. Also a bit lonely. At the same time he'd been trying to tell himself to be a man about it. Part of him wanted to prove he didn't need someone else with him while he slept, while another part of him was worried that he might not be ready yet. On the whole he felt very relieved at Akane's offer. Still ... he scribbled quickly and held the pad out. "Are you sure? You're not still mad?"

Akane nodded seriously. "I thought about it a lot before coming to get you. Yes, I'm sure." She bit her lip. "How about you? Aren't you mad at me for kicking you out?"

The boy cocked his head, studying her face. He wrote, "No, not mad. Upset maybe. Sad. Never had a right to sleep in your bed. Letting me was a huge gift."

The next sheet read, "You have the right to say no if you're not comfortable. Are you really sure?"

She gave him one of her patented smiles. "Come on baka. Let's go get to sleep." She tilted the glass from side to side, drawing his eye to it.

Without further hesitation, Ranma took her up on the offer, his heart feeling considerably eased. He accepted the glass and quickly changed to female. The two then went back down the hall and climbed into the bed. Akane turned off the light.

Several minutes later, as they were lying there in the dark, Akane asked, "Ranma, do you have any idea why Hibiki-san tracked you down to fight with you?"

Ranma sighed internally, wondering why she was bringing this up _now_, when they'd finally settled down. However, he decided not to risk her anger by pretending to be asleep or anything. Instead he just motioned for his pad. Akane chided herself for not thinking. She rolled over, turned on the light, picked up the pad from the edge of her desk, and handed it to him. He rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the pillow down to his lower chest to provide support and began to write. Akane lay on her stomach beside him, reading as he wrote.

"I spent time today thinking about it. Don't see any good reason. Last time I saw him was just before the duel we didn't have."

"What was the duel about?" Akane asked.

"Bread," Ranma wrote. "It was stupid. Middle school. Things got kind of vicious in the cafeteria. Everyone fought for the good bread.

"I thought we were friends. I walked him to and from school. Okay, he challenged me to a duel over the bread. But it was a friendly match. I thought.

"Only guess I have - he showed up late for the duel. Embarrassed because he got lost. Got pissed since I had already left.

"Seems kind of weak though, doesn't it?" He gave her an apologetic smile as he finished writing that line.

"Yes," Akane admitted. "It hardly seems like a reason to track you down months later, yelling 'Prepare to die!'"

Ranma shrugged and wrote. "If there's another reason, I can't think of it."

"Okay. I suppose we'll find out if he comes back," Akane concluded. "You know, I think this is the time when I wish the most you could get your voice back. It would be kind of nice to talk a little bit after we go to bed, but before we fall asleep."

Ranma nodded and shrugged. He wrote, "Maybe someday." He paused, then wrote some more. "Thanks again for letting me stay with you all these nights. It means a lot to me."

Akane reached over and stroked a hand through his red hair, putting aside the fears for which she had tried to push him away earlier. "It's okay, Ranma. Yeah, I was a little nervous at first, and finding out about daddy's plans today bothered me a lot, but ... I'm not worried that you'll try anything." She bit her lower lip and turned her face down to her lap, not looking at him, as she confessed, "It's helped me too, you know. You've taught me that it's possible to trust a boy to behave himself. I never would have believed that was possible before I met you."

Cheeks faintly rosy, she decided that she had said enough. "Here, give me your pad, and let's get to sleep." She put the pad back on the desk, and turned the light off once more. Although they tended to sleep on their own sides of the bed as often as not lately, tonight Akane put her arms around the girl beside her and pulled Ranma close, his back to her front. As they drifted off to sleep, Akane wondered what it would feel like to hold Ranma like this if he were male. Maybe even lying the other way, with his arms around her.

It was probably just as well that Akane didn't remember these last sleep-filled thoughts the next morning. They would no doubt have made her very uncomfortable.

* * *

As soon as they got home from school Friday afternoon, Kasumi handed Ranma a letter which had arrived in the mail. The postmark showed that it had been posted yesterday, in Nerima. He opened it to find that it was a challenge from Ryoga, to be met on the field at the high school.

Akane was reading over his shoulder. "The challenge is for today, at two thirty." She looked at the clock. "It's already past that now. What are you going to do?"

Ranma shrugged. Still looking over his shoulder, Akane read as he wrote, "He's always lost, remember? I'll start waiting for him next week."

Akane gave a grunt of acknowledgment. She had in fact forgotten that Ryoga had apparently taken more than three days to show up for the last duel he had with Ranma. They both hurried off to change so they could have a quick workout before it was time to leave for their appointment.

Later Ranma had to explain the whole arranged marriage business to Mitaka-sensei, how he had found out about it, why he ran away, his decision to keep it secret, and how he felt about it now. In a similar manner, the counselor had Akane explore her feelings about the agreement between their fathers, Ranma's decision not to tell them about it, and how it affected her relationship with Ranma. In the end, Akane felt a little more reconciled, and Ranma was relieved that Mitaka did not tell him he had been wrong to hide the truth from the Tendo's. On the other hand, he did feel ashamed when the counselor pointed out that he could have told her all about this from the beginning, since she had promised to keep his confidences, and doing so would have allowed her to advise him on the matter.

On Saturday they celebrated the successful completion of Ranma's first week in school with a family trip to Ginza. They went shopping, saw the sights, and attended a show at the Kabukiza theater. The one flaw in the outing was the unplanned wide detour they had to make around the fish market, when at the last moment Nabiki remembered and mentioned its feline population.

* * *

The Monday morning after that outing, Ranma sat in English class trying not to doze off. The period was supposed to have ended two minutes ago, he thought irritably, yet the teacher was still trying to make some final points. Tedious, nit-picking points. Ranma stifled a yawn, his eyes squeezing shut automatically, and he felt himself start nodding again. Resolutely, he jerked his head back up. From the back of the room, he heard the classroom door squeak as it opened and shut again. The half asleep boy wondered what brave soul had dared to sneak out.

He'd barely formed the thought when a veritable flood of water came crashing down over his head. Before the excess water could even splash on the floor, Ranma was on his feet, facing the other way. Tatewaki Kuno was standing behind his desk, face adorned with a triumphant look, holding an empty pail in the arm which wasn't in a cast. Ranma's fists clenched, wishing he could yell at the older boy and frustrated that he had to settle for a furious glare instead.

"Behold!" Kuno declaimed. "This entity, who calls himself Ranma, is clearly a shape-changing demon! Join me, that we may drive it forth from these halls of learning! Let its evil be vanquished by our righteousness!"

Ranma wanted to pound Kuno into paste but hesitated, his honor nagging at him, since the other boy's broken bones were still healing. After all, Kuno was not violating his promise concerning Akane, nor had he launched a physical attack against Ranma. The idiot had just soaked him thoroughly. That deserved retribution, the only question was, of what kind?

Before his fury found a means of expression, Ranma finally became aware of how everyone in the classroom was staring at him. At the same time he realized that the white shirt of the school uniform, when sopping wet and worn without a bra, made quite a display for female assets. The girls were all twittering with combined surprise and embarrassment, averting their eyes, but the boys ...

With a sudden rising nausea, Ranma recognized the boys' expressions as lust, and his desire to do damage to Kuno vanished completely under the weight of their regard. He could see it in their eyes. They wanted to ... do things to him. Tear off his clothes. Pin him down. Worse. His mouth opened in a silent cry of grief and he ran from the room.

The other students watched him run off in bewilderment. True, the boys had openly stared at a view they had found enticing, but their desires were nowhere near the images which Ranma's subconscious had called up and forced upon him. Kuno declared, "You see how easily we defeat him! Come, let us make sure that he leaves this place entirely!"

Akane had jumped up to run after Ranma. On hearing these words from the pompous ass, she hauled her arm back and slapped Kuno across the face so hard that he spun through two full rotations before falling to the floor. She ran out, hoping that she could find Ranma quickly.

The teacher sighed with regret, and considered how to pick up the pieces. Several students were standing, talking together loudly about what they'd seen, or thought they'd seen. A few of the more bold were even peeking out the door in the hopes that there was more to be seen.

"Everyone back to your seats and be quiet," he demanded, in tones which made it clear that refusal would earn hours of extra homework. Those who were standing quickly found their seats again.

Tatewaki was just climbing to his feet, feeling his jaw as if fearing it might have been dislocated. The teacher now addressed him. "Kuno-kun, return to your own classroom. Do as you please before or after school, or in fact anywhere else, but if you ever dare to disrupt _my_ class like this in the future, I will see to it that you are removed from your position as captain of the kendo club."

"But ..."

"_Leave_, Kuno-kun."

Thoroughly confused, wondering why no one had joined his quest to rid the school of the demon, Kuno left the room.

The teacher next pinned Hiroshi with his eyes, who was one of those who had been standing near the door and speaking loudest. "Yanaka-kun, please get a mop and clean up that mess." Making sure to keep his grumbles inaudible, Hiroshi left to get a mop from the closet down the hall.

Sitting back on his desktop with a sigh, the teacher said, "Now I am sure that all of you are wondering what just happened. I will try to explain.

The man paused to gather his thoughts. As he began to speak, Hiroshi reentered the room with a clatter of bucket and mop, earning himself a glare. The teacher then began speaking.

"Ranma-kun, although an unfortunate young man, is certainly not some sort of demon. Obviously Kuno-kun is confused. And mistaken. Ranma-kun suffers from a curse, which he says he received in China. Now this may not seem very rational, but ... all of you just saw it with your own eyes. When exposed to cold water, Ranma-kun's body undergoes a transformation and becomes female. Hot water restores his original body. It is as simple as that. Assuming that he did not leave school entirely, I imagine that he will make use of some hot water before he returns to class.

"He did plan to tell all of you about this, but we, he and we teachers as well, had hoped to wait longer before doing so. If you got to know him first, it would be easier for you to accept him as a person, less chance that someone would regard him as monstrous or something. Also, Ranma-kun is rather sensitive about being treated as a boy. He wanted to be firmly established in everyone's minds as male before he revealed his problem.

"His inability to speak is a separate matter. It has nothing to do with his curse. If you have any further questions, I suggest that you wait and ask him in person."

The next teacher entered the room to begin his class just as this explanation was completed. The English teacher took a moment to brief his colleague on what had just happened, then left. Needless to say, the students in the room had trouble focusing on the literature class which followed.

* * *

Ranma wasn't in the hallway when Akane ran out of the classroom. She was pretty sure even he wouldn't have had enough time to reach the stairs at the end of the hall, which meant he either had jumped out of a window, or was hiding in one of the rooms before her. Most of the doors along this hallway opened onto classrooms, all of which were occupied at this hour. She was certain he wouldn't be in those. That left the supply closet and two restrooms.

All three of these choices offered hot water, which made them ideal for a certain cursed individual who would wish to become male again as quickly as possible. Hesitating to enter the boys' restroom, Akane checked the supply closet first, then, rather hopelessly, the girls' restroom. There was no one in either room.

Standing in front of the door to the boys' restroom, Akane had to pause to gather her courage. She almost turned around. Slowly pushing the door open a crack, she called softly, "Ranma?" Hearing no answer she braced herself, then stepped inside, fully expecting to be confronted by filth, unpleasant smells and pornographic graffiti. To her surprise the room appeared to be fairly clean, although she averted her eyes from the urinals and what appeared to be some scrawls on the walls in the stalls.

Her attention was immediately diverted from such distractions, ignoring them, when her eyes focused on Ranma. He was indeed a boy once more, with a puddle on the floor under a sink showing where he had splashed himself. He was sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his face, and his arms wrapped around those knees.

She walked over and knelt down beside him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Akane whispered his name. "Ranma?"

The boy looked up. He did not appear to have been crying, for which Akane was very thankful, but his eyes did have a haunted appearance.

Akane put her arms around him and hugged him. He held on to her tightly, but still didn't break down. He was breathing a little hard, but not hyperventilating or anything. She pulled back and regarded him seriously. "You're handling it better than I thought you'd be," she told him.

Ranma shrugged. He wanted to tell her that she was both right and wrong. He _hadn't_ fallen apart, as he himself had been afraid he might. On the other hand, he felt more shaky on the inside than he appeared from the outside. He wished it were possible to whisper how he was feeling, but he couldn't, and he didn't want to let go just to write it down.

They stayed there until nearly the end of the following class period. Lunch was next, and Akane suggested that perhaps they should leave the restroom before boys came looking to use it. She asked Ranma if he wanted to go home or return to class, leaving it up to him. He considered both options, but signaled that they should return to the classroom. They stood out in the hall and waited until the bell rang before walking back in.

Their classmates stared at the two of them, bursting immediately into rapid questions. Akane loudly announced, in tones which would brook no argument, that she and Ranma were going to eat lunch before answering anything. Without discussing the matter, all of their classmates decided that they would eat lunch in the classroom as well. Those who had to buy their meals hurried to do so, glad they would be able to get back in time to hear what would be said.

Eventually Akane finished eating, long after Ranma had inhaled his food. She turned to the boy and quietly asked if he wanted her to field all the questions, receiving a willing nod in reply. She stood up and everyone else immediately quieted down.

"I suppose I should start by giving you some background," Akane began.

Yuka spoke up. "We already heard that it's some sort of curse. That he's really a guy, that cold water changes him into a girl, and that hot water turns him back into a boy again. Oh, and Hikari-sensei also said that it has nothing to do with Ranma-kun being mute."

Akane considered where to go from there, thinking back over all of the little things he'd told her during many conversations. "Okay, that's the basics. He received the curse in China. He and his father were training there, and went to some remote valley way up in the mountains, called ... Jusenkyo, is that right?" She turned to Ranma, who nodded.

"Apparently this valley has a lot of pools of water, and anyone who falls into one of the pools ends up with a curse like this. Cold water changes them into the cursed form, and hot water changes them back. The pool that Ranma fell into causes him to change into a girl. Ranma told us that his father is cursed to change into a panda bear."

Several people looked unsure of whether to believe this, despite having seen Ranma change. Akane waited for the murmurs to die down before continuing. Since she definitely didn't want to mention arranged marriages, she adjusted the facts slightly. "Ranma was understandably upset with his father over this. They've gone their separate ways, and for the time being we don't know where Genma Saotome is, although we think he might have gone back to China.

"Ranma is hoping to raise the money to make a return trip himself someday, to try to find a cure. He hopes there is one, but he has no proof that a cure exists. He got into a fight after leaving his father, during which he suffered a concussion. This has left him unable to speak. Temporarily, we hope. My father offered to let him stay with us while he is being treated for this, and possibly for longer, while Ranma tries to decide what he is going to do now that he is on his own.

"I guess that pretty much covers it. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Hiroshi piped up. "Are you and Ranma ..."

He didn't get any further. Ranma stood up, glaring and surrounded by a red aura. His lips were drawn back in a snarl and his fists were clenched. Hiroshi wisely slammed his lips shut.

Akane spoke serenely. "Ranma and I are training together. He's showing me some of the martial arts he has learned. We're ... friends." Her tone was thoughtful, and she glanced at Ranma, who smiled and nodded his head slightly. She gave a small smile of her own. "But that's all. We're not dating. Nothing is going on between us. I'd suggest, as a matter of personal safety, that no one else ask any questions like that."

"Does it hurt?" one of the girls asked.

Recalling Ranma's words on this subject, Akane replied, "He says that the feeling is in between a tingle, and the feeling of water running over your skin. So no, it doesn't hurt. It can be a little inconvenient. The everyday clothing Ranma likes to wear fits either body fairly well. When he's been hit by water on the way to or from school, he has to stop to make adjustments, since his school uniform is less forgiving."

"Does this happen to him often?" another girl asked.

Ranma grimaced. Akane suppressed a chuckle. "_Way_ too often, in his opinion. The curse seems almost to attract water. He's actually already been hit several times at school, but we managed to cover it up before anyone noticed. And of course he changes whenever he's outside and it rains, or whenever he bathes."

One of the guys wanted to know, "Are you, like, really a girl when it happens? I mean, completely?"

Akane looked over at Ranma, who closed his eyes, his face losing all expression. She answered, "Yes. His body is completely female when it happens. He doesn't like that, of course. If for no other reason, because he's a martial artist, and doesn't like finding himself in a body other than the one he has trained all his life. The body whose responses he is intimately familiar with."

One of the other boys, with a bit of a leer in his eye, asked, "Does Ranma _think_ like a girl when he changes? You know, does she want to wear dresses, and make up, and have the guys pay attention to her?"

Akane, and several other girls, muttered "jerk" while Ranma stood up and walked over to the unlucky boy. He cringed backward, but Ranma grabbed him by his shirt front and lifted him up. With his other hand, Ranma pointed two fingers at the boys eyes, then made a throwing motion downward. Throwing the fool back into his seat, Ranma marched back to his own desk and sat down again.

Akane said, "I believe what Ranma is trying to tell you is that if he ever catches you ogling his girl form, he will rip out both of your eyes." Ranma nodded, and several boys paled. "Ranma's mind doesn't change. From his point of view, he is a boy at all times, even when his body is not in agreement. He prefers that you use masculine pronouns when referring to him, whichever body he is in."

"Is this curse why Ranma doesn't take gym with us?" Daisuke inquired.

Akane thought about how to answer this. She came up with, "Not exactly, although it was probably for the best until now, as he would have had trouble hiding the curse in a locker room. No, that goes back to the fight that left him mute. The doctor who is still treating Ranma is being extremely cautious about giving permission for him to resume such activities. Ranma hopes he won't have to sit on the sidelines for much longer."

One of the bolder girls, and not one whom Akane liked very much, came up with, "Does he have periods?" The girl was smirking as she asked the question. Several of the other girls looked curious, and many of the boys turned faintly green.

Akane was stumped. The question had never been raised before. She turned to Ranma and held her hands out to the side, venting an interrogative "uh ...?"

Ranma wrote on his pad, "Didn't understand the question."

Akane turned back and responded, "He isn't sure yet. And it's a private matter for which he sees no reason to let people know the answer. Even after he finds out what the answer is."

One of the boys started to ask something, but then shut his mouth. Akane raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head. She turned away again, assuming he was thinking something perverted, but had thought better of asking about it.

Hiroshi tried again. "Does he shave his legs and armpits as a girl?"

Ranma looked pained. Akane looked disgusted and said, "None of your business. Next?"

Akane's friend Yuka asked, "It looked like Ranma was shorter as a girl? Was he?"

Akane nodded. "Yes. He's a good ten centimeters shorter after the change, not to mention many kilograms lighter. I have no idea what happens to the extra mass. Luckily his foot size is only a little smaller, so his shoes still fit pretty well."

A girl who got top marks in science classes wanted to know, "Are any of his senses different as a girl? Sight, hearing, smell? Anything he's noticed?"

Akane shrugged, and looked at Ranma helplessly. He wrote something down and handed it up to her. She read it and announced, "Ranma says that some things seem to smell or taste a little different. There's a brand of tea he likes in his female form, that he doesn't care for as a boy. He says that chocolate tastes a lot better as a girl."

"Doesn't surprise me," one of the girls remarked, and several others nodded.

Daisuke took another turn. "He's stronger as a guy, isn't he?"

Akane agreed that he was. "During training, Ranma has mentioned to me that he is stronger as a boy, but seems to be faster as a girl. Faster in his reactions and movements, that is. For something other than reactions, like running, he's faster over a short distance when he's male, but has more endurance when he's female. Also, his training has taught him to endure pain, but he says he's able to handle pain even better when he's female."

"That's 'cause guys don't have to give birth," one of the girls declared caustically, eyeing some of the boys sitting near her. One of them responded by sticking out his tongue.

Akane looked around the room. Several of the boys looked like they were biting their tongues, withholding questions they didn't dare ask. Not hearing any others spoken aloud, and as it was almost time for the next class, Akane left to get a drink of water. She came back a minute later and took her seat once more.

* * *

After school, Ranma wrote to Akane that he had to hang around for a little while, in case Ryoga found his way back for the challenge. Akane chose to accompany him and suggested that they spend the time sparring. Ranma pointed out two problems with this. First, she was wearing her school uniform, which was not the most appropriate outfit imaginable for a heavy sparring session. Second, he had to meet Ryoga as male, and therefore could not change to female to spar with her.

Akane considered both of these points carefully, particularly the second. She even paced back and forth a little while thinking about it. Finally she turned to him, breathed out heavily, and said, "Ranma, I think I'm ready to face you as a boy. I've gotten to know you pretty well, and I won't react to you like I did to the boys who attacked me before. It's just sparring. I can handle it."

Ranma wrote, "You sure? I'm stronger as a guy. I'll have to hold back more. Don't want to break any bones."

Akane snorted. "I don't want you breaking any of my bones, either. Okay, I'm not happy about you holding back, but I already know you do it even as a girl. I can deal with it."

"What about the uniform?" he wrote.

"If you can wait a few minutes," she told him, "I'll run back inside and change. I'm sure I can find a sweatsuit. That'll do to spar in."

Akane ran back inside and, as predicted, ran back out a few minutes later wearing a sweatsuit. That it was a shocking pink in color was a bit of a surprise, but probably didn't matter. Akane saw the look in his eyes, looked down at the color, and grimaced. "Sayuri was the first one I asked who had one in her locker. I had to take what I could get."

There were quite a number of students still milling around the schoolyard, and they gathered to watch while Akane and Ranma faced off against one another on a soccer field. What followed was too fast and intense for most of the untrained spectators to follow. A few members of the former horde who did have some training realized that they didn't dare try to take Akane on again. She was at least twenty percent better already, just from having had her forms straightened out, adjusting them for her growth during the years of neglect.

Tatewaki Kuno came out after a brief administrative meeting concerning upcoming meets for the kendo club, and heard the murmur of a crowd. He wandered over to see what was happening, only to spy Akane Tendo locked in combat with the fiend Ranma. He brandished his bokken and prepared to charge into the fray.

Nabiki got into his face first. "Are you a complete idiot, Kuno-baby? How much fighting do you think you can do with one arm in a cast, and several fractured ribs? Besides, if you'll take the time to _look_, you'll see that they're just _sparring_."

Kuno grumbled a good bit, but had to allow that the mercenary wench made a good point about his readiness to do battle. Vowing to bring down the vengeance of heaven upon the head of the foul demon as soon as he was fit, Kuno left rather than watch the action.

Akane and Ranma kept up their exercise until three thirty, when they decided that Ryoga probably wasn't going to show up that day. Akane wore the sweatsuit home, promising Sayuri that she'd wash it before she gave it back. She also made plans to bring something of her own the next day, in case Ryoga still didn't appear.

Just before getting in bed that night, Ranma tried to ask Akane what the girl in class had meant by "periods." Akane blushed heavily, told him it was a female thing, and suggested strongly that he talk to his therapist about it.

The next morning, Kuno challenged Ranma at the school gate, vowing not to allow the demon to enter the school. Ranma treated him more gently than he deserved, being careful not to further damage Kuno's healing bones. Afterward, Ranma lay the kendoist's crumpled and unconscious body on a bench to sleep it off. He cracked his knuckles with a smile, happy to have been given a chance of revenge for the previous day's encounter.

A much larger group of students gathered to watch Akane and Ranma spar that afternoon. Many were shocked at how seriously the pair went about it, wincing at some of the blows Akane took. The two teenagers did get yelled at by the soccer coach, however, who wasn't terribly pleased by the effect they were having on the field. They left immediately after the dressing down, to keep their appointment with Mitaka-sensei.

Ranma informed his counselor how his curse had been revealed at school, and they discussed his reactions to the event. He also took Akane's suggestion and asked about periods. The rest of his session was occupied by an impromptu sex education lecture, covering those aspects of the subject beyond the basic acts he already knew about. Ranma prayed, silently and very hard, that his curse would not subject him to this new and unexpected possibility.

Ranma also asked her if it would be okay for him to start taking gym class, now that the curse had been revealed. Mitaka told him that they could wait and discuss that again on Friday, after they had a few more days to gauge his classmate's reactions to the curse. She warned him however that she still had her doubts whether he was ready, and not to get his hopes up.

After Akane's turn, Mitaka called Ranma back into the room and had him take her seat while she pulled her chair out from behind the desk and sat in it. "I'd like to discuss something related to your inability to speak, Ranma-san," she began. He and Akane both gave her their full attention.

"I will not hide from you," she went on, "that I had hoped you would begin to recover some speech by now." Ranma looked crestfallen, provoking her to respond with a joking pretense of severity. "Now, none of that, young man! I still feel confident that you _will_ be able to talk again, some day. I think that the problem is that there are deeper issues tied to it which we haven't uncovered yet. It just means it might take a lot longer."

"How much longer, Mitaka-san?" Akane asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Tendo-san," the older woman replied. "It depends on how long it takes us to find the root problems. Now I know that it is frustrating for you," she was looking at Ranma again, "to have to do all of your communicating by writing."

Ranma nodded at this. He took the time to write, "Very frustrating."

Mitaka smiled. "I'm sure. I have a suggestion to make. Many people who cannot speak, most of whom are deaf, learn to communicate using sign language. Of course, they can only communicate with others who know it as well. I happen to be proficient myself. Let me give you a small sample."

Her hands went through some rapid motions, accompanied by a few exaggerated facial expressions. "Now what I just said was, 'You can learn sign language. It only takes time and practice.'"

Akane asked the question that was on Ranma's mind. "Are you suggesting that part of Ranma's sessions with you be spent learning sign language?"

The counselor shook her head. "No. I'm not certified to teach it, and my time with Ranma should be spent on other matters. However, I know of a class which is going to start up this Saturday. It will meet once per week, for three hours on each Saturday. I think it would be a good idea if both of you were to sign up."

"What? Me too?" Akane squeaked.

"Certainly. Why not?" was the response. "After all, there isn't much point of Ranma-san going to the trouble if he has no one to talk to. I mean, it would hardly be worth it for the little bit of time he spends with me each week. For that matter, his sessions with me need a degree of understanding which will continue to require a lot of writing on his part, unless a time comes when he is extremely fluent at sign language."

Ranma scribbled, and showed his pad to Akane. "Please? It would be easier if I didn't have to write everything when we talk."

"Besides," Mitaka pressed, looking at Akane, "you'll have it easier than Ranma-san. You only have to become fluent at _reading_ the signs. You'll have no need to sign back, since _he_ can hear you perfectly well."

Akane felt embarrassed about having protested. She wasn't really unwilling, she'd just been caught by surprise. "Um, sure, what do we have to do?"

Mitaka handed Ranma a piece of paper. "Just call the number on there, tell them you'd like to join the class, and show up at the address at the bottom, on Saturday at one o'clock."

"Thank you, Mitaka-san. I promise, we will," Akane answered for both of them.

Akane and Ranma both stood and bowed, then departed. Mitaka collapsed back into her chair and looked heavenward, remembering the talk she had just given about the facts of life. "I swear, if I ever get my hands on that Genma Saotome ..."

* * *

Akane mentioned the sign language classes that night at dinner. Kasumi expressed an interest in joining them as well. Soun ignored the subject, and Nabiki pronounced herself as having much more important things to do. The middle sister was thinking that she could communicate perfectly well with Ranma via pen and paper and therefore saw no point to putting in the time and effort of learning a new language. After dinner, Kasumi called the phone number from the advertisement, and registered the three of them for the class.

Wednesday passed without incident. Ranma had to subdue Kuno again, and tried to suggest to the upperclassman that he wait until he healed before challenging his betters. Unfortunately, Kuno was in no mood to take and read the notes Ranma wrote. Akane and Ranma sparred after school again, this time upsetting the baseball coach.

On Thursday, the students emerged from the building at the end of the school day to see an angry, frustrated, Ryoga Hibiki standing and waiting. When Ranma came out, Ryoga called loudly, "So, Ranma, you finally had the guts to show up!"

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stick around for chapter 5, in which Ryoga makes some suboptimal decisions.

Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site and LiveJournal site. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time.


	5. Buta hentai

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 5. Buta-hentai**

Standing before the front door of the school, Ranma watched Ryoga, smiling, pleased that the lost boy had found his way back. So quickly too. It would be great to have a good, all-out fight against an opponent he wouldn't mind hitting full force, someone he knew could take it. It would feel good to work off some stress. Still, it _would_ be nice to know _why_ they were fighting.

Ranma stepped to the side to clear the doorway for other students who were coming out. He pulled out his pad and wrote something on it, tore off the sheet, folded it into a paper airplane, and flew it to Ryoga.

That angry young man snatched it out of the air while shouting, "What are you playing at, Ranma?!" He yanked the paper airplane open.

It read, "I'm ready to fight you. But can you tell me why?"

Ryoga yelled, "So you refuse to speak to me, Ranma? Is this supposed to be some weird sort of insult?"

Akane had stepped to the side to watch, but she couldn't keep quiet at this. She stepped forward and spoke loudly, in tones which suggested she thought the one she addressed was a bit of a fool, "He's not speaking to you, Hibiki-san, because he can't speak to anyone. He lost his voice."

Ryoga turned to face her. "Huh?" Then, "Who are you?"

She replied in bored tones, "I'm Akane Tendo. My father is an old friend of Ranma's father and Ranma is staying with us for a while. He lost his voice after a fight a few weeks ago."

Ryoga turned back and stared at his rival, shocked. Ranma saw the stare and gave a slight nod of his head. It took less than half a minute for the causes of Ryoga's current enmity for the other boy to reassert themselves, and he shook himself free of the unexpected feeling of surprise.

"Ha!" Ryoga shouted. "So the great Ranma Saotome lost his voice. Boo hoo! Because of _you_, I've seen hell! Defend yourself." He leaped forward, stabbing out toward Ranma with the sharpened ferrule of his umbrella.

Ranma slid backward, almost moonwalking, so that all of the jabs missed. Ryoga tried throwing the umbrella again, spinning it through the air, but just as the last time Ranma dodged it easily. While Ranma was distracted dodging its return flight, Ryoga took advantage of the pigtailed boy's momentary inattention to tie one of his bandannas around Ranma's wrist, keeping a tight hold on the other end, to prevent Ranma from running away or dodging. Ryoga grabbed the umbrella as it reached himself, and prepared to use it to administer what he saw as a well-deserved beating.

Unfortunately, tying the bandanna around Ranma's wrist proved to be a serious miscalculation, for a crucial reason which had nothing to do with technique. Feeling his wrist constrained and looking down to see something tied there caused the young martial artist to have a flashback to the last time his wrist had been tied. Inhibitions against use of excessive force came crashing down. Ranma slammed a foot into Ryoga with the force of a freight train, causing the other boy to lose hold of the bandanna and sending him flying over the fence at the edge of the field. Ranma leaped after, his thoughts chaotic and full of the desire to tear his opponent apart.

Akane ran and leaped after them. As she cleared the fence, she looked below herself in surprise, thinking, ‹Whoa! I know Ranma's been teaching me aerial maneuvers, but I didn't know I could do _that_!› The other watching students scurried to run around the end of the fence.

Ryoga crashed into an outdoor water fountain, smashing it, howling at the pain this caused to his back. He bent over, cradling his gut where Ranma had kicked him, the greater of the two pains. He fought to stay conscious. Only a second or two passed after his impact before Ryoga realized what had broken his fall. He bounced away and, with speed born of panic, brought his umbrella around and opened it just before the spray of water could hit him.

‹Note to self,› Ryoga thought, struggling to hold himself upright despite the pain, ‹tying him to me is _not_ a successful strategy.› He looked cautiously around the edge of the umbrella to see Ranma emerging from the spray around the water fountain, except ... he looked different. ‹What happened to his hair? It's ... not as dark? And the way that wet shirt is sticking to his chest ...› Suddenly Ryoga was pinching his nose against incipient blood loss.

This distraction proved dangerous for Ryoga, as Ranma kicked him again and sent him flying once more. He managed to land on his feet this time, but he was gasping, trying to catch his breath against a band of pain wrapped around his chest. In desperation, Ryoga once again threw his umbrella at his opponent, at Ranma, his enemy, no matter what his appearance. He followed it with four hardened and knife-sharp bandannas, spinning through the air.

Ranma almost jumped out of the way, but then realized that Akane was right behind him, in the direct path of the weapons. He jumped backward, circling his arm around her waist to pull her against him. As the umbrella reached him he did not dodge this time, but kicked it instead, making it flip around so that he could grab the handle. He leaped into the air, carrying Akane with him, using the umbrella as a shield to block the bandannas.

The mob of other students arrived in time to see this. Daisuke turned to Hiroshi, his face slack with awe, and said, "Isn't that umbrella incredibly heavy?"

Ranma flipped the umbrella back rightside-up to catch the air and slow their descent. He and Akane landed on the roof of a bicycle shed, with Akane clinging to him in delayed reaction to the threat they had just avoided.

Ranma wanted to complain to Akane about her getting in the middle of a fight, forcing him to keep an eye on her in addition to his opponent. Unfortunately, he couldn't say anything, and the way their arms were wrapped around each other, he couldn't write anything either. Akane's mind had gone blank, other than a feeling of safety as Ranma held her. Then she saw the other students running their way, and realized they would see her hugging Ranma, with him in his female form no less. She quickly put some distance between them.

Ranma needed to return to his fight, although the interruption had allowed him to regain some of his mental balance. Since Akane was already looking his way, Ranma pointed first at her, then made a choppy pointing motion at the roof under them. The message was clear, "You stay here!"

Akane felt a burst of temper coming on. Didn't the jerk believe that she could take care of herself?

At that moment, the shed collapsed underneath them. The watching students had seen Ryoga take off his belt and snap it out, so that it was standing as stiff as a rod. He swung this belt and it sliced right through one of the poles supporting the shed roof. The roof fell.

As he felt the support fall out from underneath them, Ranma grabbed Akane around the waist once more. Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma saw Ryoga leaping toward them, and thrust out with the umbrella to block. Ryoga swung the belt, causing it to wrap around the umbrella. As he pulled back, it sliced through the umbrella, ending its usefulness as a weapon.

Ranma touched down lightly on the ruins of the roof, which was lying among the damaged bicycles. He put Akane down immediately and turned back to Ryoga. Ranma was beginning to feel quite irritated about the way the other boy kept endangering other people in a fight which should only have involved the two of them. He quickly closed the distance between them. Akane raced after, determined not to let Ranma face this Ryoga by himself.

Ryoga snapped his belt out into a stiff rod once more and swung it, aiming at Ranma. Ranma ducked the swing and kicked Ryoga's arm. The belt went flying. Akane gave an "eep" as she saw it spinning toward her and dove for the ground, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't feel it slice her anywhere along her back. She grimaced when she stood, feeling a twinge of pain from her ankle. Something slid off of her back and past her eyes, to fall on the ground.

Ranma was trading blows with Ryoga when he heard a gasp of dismay from behind him. He kicked Ryoga, making him stagger, then spun around looking to see what had occurred. Akane stood there in a state of shock, gazing down at a long lock of hair lying on the ground. It was tied at one end with a blue ribbon. Her own hair seemed to be much shorter, fluttering around her eyes and cheeks.

Ranma put two and two together, and realized that was Akane's hair lying on the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief that she had suffered no worse injury. Why had she insisted on getting mixed up in his fight? He went back and put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the face, seeing no reaction. There didn't seem to be anything else wrong with her, so he couldn't figure out why she was suddenly standing so still.

Ryoga had walked up close. "Feh! She isn't injured, is she?"

Ranma looked at him, and shook his head.

Yuka exclaimed. "What are you talking about? This is much worse than an _injury_! Caught out in public with a haircut like that? She's lucky she didn't die!"

Ranma regarded Yuka through narrowed eyes. Ryoga suggested, "Er, are you sure you're not exaggerating just a little?"

Akane suddenly looked up, eyes blazing. She slapped Ranma, then spun around and slapped Ryoga. She turned on her heels and marched off. The boys in the crowd mostly turned to watch her walk off, but the girls gathered around Ranma, demanding to know what he was going to do to make this up to Akane, as if he could answer them.

Ryoga lifted a hand to his cheek, and gave a groan of pain. ‹Man, that chick is strong!› He then looked around, failing to spot his enemy, not seeing him in the midst of the crowd of girls. "Ranma! You've run off _again_? Damn you! Come back here!" He started running, and was soon out of sight.

Ranma was looking down at the hair, trying to understand, ignoring the gathered girls who were berating him. This hair obviously meant a lot more to Akane than he had realized. Of course, it would take years to grow it that long, which meant it would take a long time to grow back. Still, she had seemed more greatly bothered than that would account for. He lifted a hand to his own cheek, unconsciously mimicking Ryoga.

He stooped down and lifted the hair in his hand, examining it, as if it might contain clues to explain Akane's reaction. Ranma lifted troubled eyes and looked down the road, in the direction Akane had left. He jumped over the heads of the students surrounding him, and took off after Akane.

Ranma was still some distance down the road as he saw Akane turn into the gate at the Tendo house. He followed and caught up with her as she entered the kitchen. Kasumi was there, bent over the stove, frying something that smelled good.

"H-Hello, Kasumi," Akane called out in a hesitant voice.

"Oh, hello Akane," Kasumi replied, "how was your ..." Her voice chopped off as she finished turning her head and caught sight of her younger sister. Her hand jerked convulsively, sending the skillet flying. Ranma dove forward to catch it, miraculously not spilling any of the food onto the floor. "Akane, y-y-your hair ...!" her voice ended in what was nearly a wail.

Akane bit her lip, trying not to cry. "I ... felt like a change. Could you fix it up for me?"

Reading in her expression something of what the younger girl was feeling, Kasumi nodded, her lips pressed tightly closed to prevent unwelcome questions from spilling out. She vanished for a moment, returning with a towel and scissors. Kasumi had Akane sit down in a chair, placed the towel around her shoulders, then began carefully trimming the ragged ends left by Ryoga's belt blade. Ranma squatted nearby and watched the proceedings in silence, conscious the entire time of the tail of hair he had placed inside his shirt.

When Kasumi finished, Ranma was startled at the great difference such a small change made in his friend's appearance. It was still Akane, yet it was a different Akane. She looked more ... energetic, more alive, more, well, more like a martial artist. At least, that's how he expressed it to himself. He groped for words to describe it in a way he could understand. Before, she had looked more like a girl. Now ... no, that wasn't right. Somehow, she appeared even _more_ female now, but a very different sort of female. Female in a way that he felt he could better understand. Except that didn't seem to make any sense to him.

Akane stood up. "I'd like to see what it ... ow!" She winced in pain, and lifted her foot. She looked down and said, "I must have twisted it earlier."

Kasumi said, "Perhaps you should have Doctor Tofu look at it."

"Yes, I suppose so," Akane responded. Then Ranma was in front of her, looking concerned. He motioned for her to sit again, and she did so. Taking her foot in his hand, he began massaging the ankle, applying pressure at certain points. When he motioned her to stand, she did so, applying weight to the foot gingerly. It still hurt, but the pain was considerably less.

"Thanks, Ranma. That helped." She smiled at him, and Ranma reflected that she sounded sincere. He began to wonder if she even remembered slapping him.

"I'm going to go have a look in the mirror, then I'll head over to the clinic," Akane stated.

Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote, "I'll go with you. Shouldn't put too much weight on your foot until the Doctor looks at it."

Akane nodded. "Okay. I'll just be a minute."

When she left the room, Ranma hurried upstairs to the guest room, where he kept his belongings. He pulled the lock of hair out, removing it from where it had nestled between his shirt and t-shirt and looked at it once more. He regarded it as he might a talisman that he didn't quite understand. This was something which had meant a lot to Akane. He rooted among his belongings and pulled out an old t-shirt, in which he wrapped the hair. He laid this bundle carefully in a drawer, then hurried back downstairs.

Ranma got some hot water from the kitchen and finally changed back to a boy. He met Akane at the front door, and persuaded her to lean on his arm, taking some of the weight off her ankle as they made their way back down the road to Tofu's clinic. Akane didn't seem inclined to talk, and Ranma of course couldn't. With his arm supporting Akane, he couldn't even pull out his pad to write anything.

Tofu took one look at Akane limping into his clinic and knew that she had injured her ankle. In short order she was sitting on an examination table, and the doctor had her foot in his hands. "It seems to only be a light sprain," he told her cheerfully. "I'll have it feeling better in just a moment." He began to massage her foot, putting pressure on many of the same spots which Ranma had, though with a more expert touch.

As he did so, he looked up at Akane's face, smiling. "So, you decided to cut your hair short again."

Ranma, watching the proceedings from where he sat on a nearby stool, asked himself, ‹Again? She used to wear it short?›

Akane reached up a hand to brush her fingers against the shorn locks. "Mm-hmm," she answered. Shyly, she asked, "Do you like it?"

Tofu replied, "Yes, it's very cute. Short hair always did suit you better." He looked down as he put the finishing touches on her ankle. He looked back up at a sniffling sound, to see tears in Akane's eyes. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" he inquired with his best bedside manner.

Akane brushed irritably at her eyes. "Oh no, it's not that!" she protested. Then she stopped, not knowing what else to say. How could she tell Doctor Tofu that she had grown her hair long for him? That she had felt devastated to find it cut off? That he had robbed her effort of so much meaning in so few words?

She looked at him through her tears, at his smile, his gentle eyes behind the glasses, and she knew he was seeing her only as a patient. A patient he cared about, true, but there was no love there. Not the love of a man for a woman. He was crazy about Kasumi, not her. She had loved him for so long, how could he not see that and feel the same way? And why didn't that thought hurt a lot more than it did?

To hide her thoughts while she tried to get back some control of her emotions, Akane looked around the room. Her eye fell on Ranma sitting quietly nearby, watching her with concern writ plain on his face. Ranma, whom she had called a friend. Ranma, who trained with her daily, dance and play and deadly earnest. Ranma, who held her close at night as often as she held the red-haired girl, who needed her and who helped her. Akane looked back and forth between Ranma and Doctor Tofu, not understanding what she felt.

The tears wouldn't stop flowing. Tofu was starting to rise, and instinctively Akane knew he was going to try to comfort her, the kindly doctor concerned for his distraught patient. She looked at Ranma once more, and realized that his comfort would mean more to her right now than Tofu's, the concern of a friend rather than a doctor. Akane stood suddenly and said, "We ... We've got to be going. Come on, Ranma." She was careful to walk out of the room slowly, to convince the others, if not herself, that she wasn't fleeing.

Ranma walked beside Akane, feeling worried, wondering what was wrong. He saw with surprise that they were not heading home, but instead entered a nearby park, where they sat on the edge of a fountain. Akane scooped some water up in her palm, turned tear-filled eyes to Ranma and said, "Please?"

Ranma sighed, but gave her a weak smile. Instead of taking the proffered water, which was already draining out between Akane's fingers, Ranma turned around and quickly dunked his head in the water. He turned back around as a female. Akane smiled her thanks, then gripped the front of his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. She was weeping quietly, not heavily, and Ranma put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt at comfort.

It wasn't long before Akane's tears slowed, and the sniffles came to an end soon after. She remained in that position for a while longer, but finally sat back, her eyes looking puffy. She smiled at Ranma and said weakly, "Thanks. Sometimes it helps to have a good cry."

Ranma finally had the chance to dig out his pad. "Want to talk about it?"

Akane shrugged. "I ... It doesn't really matter. Not anymore. I ... At one time, I had, sort of, a crush on Doctor Tofu. But I know he loves Kasumi, and ... I'm over him now.

"But I grew my hair long for him. I wanted him to see me as a girl, not just a tomboy martial artist. It ... It made me feel prettier, more like a woman. Losing my hair like that ... I was afraid for a bit that I'd lost part of what makes me female. Silly, I know."

Ranma put his pen to his pad, then hesitated. He didn't know what to write. He knew he wasn't a poet, or any good at showing sympathy. He was a lot better at insulting people. Slowly he wrote, "I think you're still pretty. Your hair looks good like this. It makes you look more like you."

Akane cocked her head to the side, regarding him. "Do you really mean that? Or are you just saying it to try to cheer me up? Because if so, you don't need to."

Ranma wrote, "Of course I mean it. Don't know how to say it. Long hair made you look too much like a girl, but that sounds wrong."

Akane hmmphed on reading that, giving him a small glare.

Ranma tried again. "Your hair suits you better like this. More active. More martial artist. More like what you are inside."

Akane smiled, raising a hand to his soft cheek. "Thank you. Perhaps you'd better stop there, while it sounds nice." She looked more closely where her fingertips rested on Ranma's face. "What happened to you here?"

Ranma wrote, "You slapped me. Don't you remember?" He stuck his tongue out as Akane read the words.

Akane blushed. "I-I'm sorry. I know it wasn't your fault. I was just, sort of upset, at that moment."

The pen scratched out the words, "Don't worry about it." Then Ranma frowned, and he wrote, "You shouldn't have interfered. It was my fight."

Akane quickly retorted, "But ..." then paused. She had only been trying to help, right? Except, would she have welcomed such help? In a way, she almost regretted her sessions with Mitaka-sensei. In the past she would have let herself become angry at Ranma's accusation. Instead, she was able to see it from his point of view, and could acknowledge to herself that he was keeping his temper better than she would if their roles had been reversed.

Without looking at him, Akane ground out, "Okay. I guess you're right. Sorry." The words might not have sounded very apologetic, but Ranma understood the feelings behind them and accepted it as it was meant. He decided it might be best to drop it for now, rather than risk an argument. He'd wait to see what happened next time. After all, it seemed likely that Ryoga would be back.

* * *

That evening, Ranma prepared for bed while Akane was still in her bath. He had already changed to his cursed form, and had stripped down to boxers and t-shirt. Before leaving the guest room, he pulled open the drawer and withdrew the long bundle of Akane's hair to examine once more.

At some inner prompting, Ranma carried the hair with him and walked down the hall to Akane's room. He stood there and looked around, trying to really see the room, to feel the impression that Akane had left on it. On one wall was a poster showing various kenpo stances. Next to it was a set of shelves, on which he could see, among many other things, some eye shadow and lip gloss. He tried to remember if he had noticed her wearing such cosmetics. Not at school, but he recollected a light shading to her eyes when they went to see Mitaka-sensei.

In one corner was a box containing weights, which he had seen her working out with on more than once occasion. On her desk was a stuffed lamb. The closet door was standing open, and inside Ranma could see a gi and clothes she wore jogging hanging side by side with sundresses, skirts and blouses. All over the room were signs of a martial artist sharing equal space with illustrations of Akane's femininity.

Ranma blinked as certain memories suddenly recalled themselves to him. Akane at dinner, looking over toward Kasumi, then shifting her hold on her teacup. Walking down the street with the two sisters and noticing the similarity in their stride, a touch awkward on Akane's part. In a store, where Akane was working through a rack of blouses selecting a few to try on, the examination of each blouse accompanied by a glance toward her oldest sister. Were these signs that some part of Akane wanted to be like her sister Kasumi? Not the whole, by any means, but the part of her that wanted people to remember she was a girl?

Ranma looked down once more at the hair hanging from his hand. This had been another symbol, at least to her, of the fact that she was a girl, someone that a man like Tofu could regard romantically. It was a sign that she was feminine and not just, as she had put it, a 'tomboy martial artist.' He grimaced at the thought that he had played a part in her loss, even if she had been largely to blame for getting in the middle of the fight.

And yet ... he had not been lying when he told her that the short hair suited her better. She still looked completely feminine, and as he had said, it was a much better match to her fighting spirit. He lay down on the bed, smelling the faint scent of her on the pillow, staring at the hair flowing over his hands. He wanted, somehow, to convince her that she was no less feminine now, that she had in fact lost nothing, and perhaps had even gained.

A short time later Akane walked into the room, wearing pajamas and with a towel wrapped around her hair. She stopped, feeling befuddled, at the sight which lay before her. Ranma was lying on the bed in his female form, already asleep, snoring softly. But what captured her entire attention was that he was clutching her hair to his chest, the long portion which had been cut off earlier, still tied by the blue ribbon.

‹He ... He kept it?› she thought to herself. ‹Why? Why is he holding it like that? What was he thinking?› She felt frozen in place, struggling to comprehend, as if she were faced with a puzzle she needed to solve before she could move.

Obviously it had meant something to him, but she wasn't going to wake him to ask what, and she doubted that she would have dared to ask even if he _were_ awake. ‹Maybe it only means that he was sorry it got cut off,› she thought, but felt wholly unconvinced.

Not knowing what else to do, still worrying at the puzzle with which he had unknowingly presented her, Akane crawled into bed beside him. Ranma stirred sleepily, but did not awake. Lying there in the dark, Akane's thoughts kept returning to Ranma lying beside her, holding to her hair as one might hold a stuffed animal or a security blanket. Thinking of the hair eventually led her to the memory of the fight earlier that day, and the feel of Ranma holding her close, his arm around her waist. Akane fell asleep to the image of the pair of them floating down through the air, with Ranma's arm encircling her, making her feel safe.

* * *

Ranma woke up Friday morning to hear Akane moving around the room. He rolled over sleepily, to see Akane gathering her jogging clothes. Sitting up, he realized that he still had Akane's hair in his hand, and blushed furiously. ‹Oh God? Did she see me holding this? Dummy, of course she did, how could she have missed it? What am I gonna tell her?›

Akane's voice called out. "Come on, Ranma. You'd better get up now, or I'm going to go jogging without you."

Ranma made a fervent wish that the earth would open up and swallow him. Since that didn't happen, and given that he had no idea how to explain why he was holding her chopped off hair, he climbed out of the bed nervously while clutching it in embarrassment against his side, trying to hide it. The red-haired girl quickly scurried out of the room.

Akane pretended not to notice anything odd as he made his escape. In a way, it was a relief. Ever since getting out of bed herself, her eyes had been drawn to him, and the hair he was holding, as if by a magnet. She'd been trying to figure out what she should feel about the situation, how she should react, and now she didn't have to.

When Ranma came out of the guest room dressed for jogging, he left the hair lying in the drawer. Neither of them brought up the subject, either during their jog, or at breakfast, or on the way to school, or at school itself. Both of them, however, were planning to discuss it with Mitaka that afternoon, and in both cases this was in hope of gaining some insight into the other. Ranma wanted to better understand what its loss had meant to Akane, and Akane wanted to try to understand why it seemed to hold some meaning to Ranma.

On the walk to Mitaka-sensei's office, Ranma noticed the faint color of the eye shadow Akane was wearing. He blushed, while wondering why he was blushing. Akane noticed and asked him what was up, but he just shook his head, refusing to explain.

In their attempts to get help understanding the other's feelings in regard to the hair, both of the teenagers were disappointed. Although she gave them a few clues to chew on, Mitaka basically told them they needed to try to work it out for themselves. Instead, she had a surprise topic of her own.

In her separate conversations with each of her patients, Mitaka raised the subject of their sleeping arrangement. She suggested that perhaps it was time Ranma started to spend some nights sleeping by himself. She explained that she wanted to make sure that he didn't become emotionally dependent on Akane, and that it would be inappropriate for them to continue sleeping together beyond the point where he needed it. She wanted to wean him away from it, sleeping by himself every third night at first, and gradually increasing the frequency. The decision was reached that his first night in his own bed would be Sunday.

Neither of the teenagers was quite sure how they felt about this plan. On the one hand they were both pleased with it as a sign that Ranma was continuing to get better. On the other hand, the prospect made them a little sad ... and it was around this point in their thoughts that each of them independently decided not to examine the "other hand" too closely. They also both wondered how the other person felt about it, but neither was willing to come right out and ask.

The night of this announcement, Ranma had another nightmare. Akane woke him up, and they spent some time discussing it. This had been a suggestion of their therapist, that they should talk openly and clinically about the details of these nightmares, in order to bleed them of some of the emotion and terror. That it embarrassed them both to do so, she had explained, was just too bad. At least the nightmares had been growing less frequent, and they both concluded that this one might be due in part to the stress from anticipation of sleeping alone on Sunday.

As Ranma walked to the sign language class the next day with Kasumi and Akane, he watched the two sisters carefully. Now that he was paying attention, it wasn't hard to notice certain gestures and motions made by Akane which seemed to mimic those of her older sister. He wondered if the younger girl was even aware of what she was doing. Ranma frowned as it occurred to him that Akane wasn't achieving quite the same grace in her movements as Kasumi. Was it lack of practice, or something else? He decided to meditate on it when he had time later that afternoon.

It also came to him that if Genma could see him now, his old man would be livid. Ranma's sparring partner was a girl, a girl whom he was training in martial arts no less. He spent his nights as a female, drawing comfort from the nearby presence of that same girl. He almost never insulted anyone, since by the time he got around to transferring his thoughts to paper, there didn't seem to be any point. He was attending school, and starting to catch up to the class. He was seeing a _shrink_, of all things.

In fact, aside from his curse and his continuing silence, Ranma realized that his life felt more normal than it ever had at any point in memory. At this thought, a fierce longing blazed up in him to keep it that way.

The first class in Japanese Sign Language, or JSL, was interesting but only covered the basics, fingerspelling and some simple words. It would be a while yet before he would be capable of holding conversations using it. Still, he had begun to get a feel for how it worked. His slight tendency toward self pity over his current handicap was also shaken, as he met several people in the class who were deaf as well as mute. Some of whom were much younger than himself.

On the way home from the class, Kasumi suggested that they take a different route. Having no reason to object, Akane and Ranma consented, and they were soon walking through a shopping district. Kasumi was humming happily to herself when she paused in her step, causing the two younger teenagers to stop as well. She turned to them with a smile and asked them to wait for her, then entered the store in front of which they were standing.

Puzzled, Akane and Ranma looked in the window and saw that this was a store specializing in infant and toddler needs. Akane's mind went blank for a moment, then struggled to recover. ‹What ... what could Kasumi oneechan possibly need in _there_?› She shook her head, trying to banish the pictures her imagination was conjuring up. ‹She ... she _couldn't_ be ... She _wouldn't_! Who ...? How ...? Oh! Its _impossible_! It, it can't be!›

Reaching back blindly, Akane grabbed Ranma's hand and dragged him into the store, nearly pulling his arm from its socket. The pigtailed boy's thoughts were still at the point of wondering what Kasumi could need in such a store, and had not yet caught up to Akane's speeding suspicions. They found the older sister in one of the aisles, lifting down a box.

"Oh! Akane. Ranma. I thought you two were going to wait outside." They looked at the box in her hands, at the words on it which identified the contents as a baby monitor. Smiling, Kasumi told them, "I thought we could get something like this and leave the transmitter in Ranma's room on the nights he sleeps by himself, with the receiver in your room, Akane. That way you might hear if Ranma-kun is caught in a nightmare, and then you'll be able to go help."

It took several long seconds for Akane to think to close her mouth. She cast her eyes down, feeling her face redden as she remembered what she had been thinking about. Beside her, Ranma was fuming. He pulled out his pad.

"I'm not a baby!" the young man wrote.

"No one is saying that you are," Kasumi replied gently. "But don't you think something like this might help? Just in case?"

Ranma looked into the older girl's bright, cheerful eyes, then turned around, clenching his fists. He released a long, heavy sigh. Intellectually, he could see her point. That didn't mean he had to like it. ‹A _baby_ monitor,› he thought in disgust. Reaching his mind out to communicate with Fate, or the universe, or something, Ranma complained, ‹Ain't I had to put up with enough ... indignity, by now?› Wearily, he turned back around.

"Are you all right, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked in concern.

Ranma managed a pseudo-smile for her sake. He nodded, and gestured toward the checkout counter. The three of them walked over as a group, to make the purchase.

Ranma disappeared for a time before dinner, heading up to the roof to think over some things. Particularly what he had noticed while walking to the sign language class with Akane and Kasumi. After dinner, while training, Ranma had Akane working on a kata which emphasized aerial moves. He watched carefully, pleased with her progress in mastering it. He found even more pleasure in the grace she exhibited, a grace she had been demonstrating increasingly as her training progressed. This observation only reinforced the decision Ranma had arrived at earlier.

As the session wound down to a close, he knew it was time to carry through on that decision, to broach the subject upon which he had been meditating before dinner. Ranma felt more than a little nervous about bringing it up, but wasn't going to back down now.

He motioned for Akane to join him on one of the benches along the wall. Curious, she picked up her towel and sat down beside him, watching as Ranma pulled out his pad and began writing. When he showed it to her, Akane read, "You're getting a lot better. In the dojo, your motions are less studied, a lot more graceful."

Akane's cheeks grew rosy, and she looked down at the floor as she replied, "Thank you, Ranma."

He then wrote, "Outside the dojo, you're not as graceful."

"Huh? Why you ..." Akane snapped, becoming angry.

Ranma tried to motion for her to slow down, then began writing again. "Outside the dojo, you're more studied. I've been watching you, you and Kasumi. You copy a lot of her motions. Kasumi is very graceful."

The next sheet read, "But you're not Kasumi. Her way of moving doesn't suit you. You need to move like Akane, not like Kasumi."

Akane read this, and tried not to let tears form in her eyes. "But I want ... I want people to look at me ... and see ..." She didn't know how to describe what she wanted to this boy, without thoroughly embarrassing herself.

Ranma wrote, "You want them to see a girl, and not just a tomboy martial artist. That's what you said, isn't it?"

Akane nodded, biting her lip.

Ranma thought about the way she looked, the way she moved in the dojo. "Trust me, they'll see a girl. The way you move in the dojo, you look more natural. What you try to be elsewhere, it looks like an act. Pretend. It's not you."

"But how can I be sure?" Akane asked quietly.

Ranma frowned, then wrote. "I'm a boy, remember? And I'm not blind. You can believe what I'm telling you."

Akane turned to gaze at him, eyes wide. "You ... like looking at me?"

Ranma snorted. He took a deep breath, preparing to step over a precipice, then laboriously wrote, "Yeah. You're definitely worth looking at. First time I saw you, I thought you looked like an angel."

He handed that to her, and continued writing. "People will see a girl when they look at you. You don't need long hair, or to act like anyone else. I think you're great just like you are."

"Oh," Akane exclaimed softly, after reading these sheets. She feared that she might be blushing deeply, given how hot her ears felt. "I ... I'll think about it." She got to her feet, backing away. "What you wrote about being myself, I mean."

Ranma nodded soberly in response. Akane bowed to conclude their session. Without even waiting for his return bow, she turned and slowly fled the dojo. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea what to say to Ranma at the moment.

Akane thought about everything Ranma had said for a long time while she soaked in the furo. Kasumi had been not only a mother figure to her for as long as she could remember, but a model of the perfect Japanese female. She knew that she studied her older sister, deliberately so, wanting to be just like her. That was why she had grown her hair long, because Kasumi had long hair.

Yet she could understand what Ranma was saying to her. Akane had seen it in other girls, trying to gain acceptance by acting like the ones who were popular, the ones they envied. It never worked because their behavior came across as unnatural. She had long since decided that she would never act that way just to make people like her, that she would rather just be herself. Somehow it had never occurred to her to extrapolate this to the way she had tried to model herself on Kasumi.

Very tentatively, Akane pulled out the notion that Ranma liked to look at her. She was startled to realize that this thought didn't make her uncomfortable. Or rather, yes it did, highly uncomfortable even, but in a very different way from how it made her uncomfortable to have other boys looking at her. Akane thought about this difference, trying to understand, unconsciously prompted by the way Mitaka-sensei made her explore her feelings during their sessions. She concluded that it was because she trusted Ranma. She knew he wouldn't treat her like the other boys did.

Akane found herself wondering if she might _like_ the idea that Ranma liked to look at her. As soon as she felt this trend in her thoughts, she resolutely turned away from the idea. She just wasn't ready to contemplate such notions. She was friends with Ranma, that was all. She told herself this very firmly.

That night in bed, Akane imagined herself back in the dojo again, with Ranma. He was looking at her, and smiling. Just looking and smiling, because he enjoyed looking at her.

* * *

Sunday was a quiet day. It started raining heavily in the morning, curtailing their jog, and kept up all day. Akane and Ranma had their workouts in the dojo of course, and spent time doing homework as well. They also spent a little time practicing with Kasumi on the things they had learned in the sign language course the day before.

Ranma tried playing a game of shogi with Soun Tendo, and discovered that the older man was a pretty sharp player. What surprised him, though, was learning that Soun cheated just as much as his own father at the game. On reflection he decided that this shouldn't surprise him. After all, both Akane's father and his own had admitted to having been friends in their youth.

Ranma went to bed that night in the guest room, feeling unaccountably nervous. Or so he saw it. It would be the first time he had slept by himself in weeks. He saw the baby monitor on the side table and scowled at it, but left it alone. His desire not to be stuck in one of his nightmares was greater than the humiliation of having a "baby" monitor keeping an eye on him. Irritably he stripped off his clothes and climbed into his bed.

Alone in her room, Akane slowly changed into her pajamas, while looking at her bed. It would be the first time she had slept alone in that bed in weeks, and she was of surprisingly mixed feelings about that. It wasn't that she wanted a _boy_ in her bed, oh no! But ... Ranma had become a companion, 'safe' in his female form. He had needed her, and he had become a familiar presence that she realized she would miss tonight. She looked over at the receiver, hearing rustling sounds transmitted from the guest room as Ranma prepared for bed. With a sigh, Akane crawled under her covers.

Hours crept by, and all inside the house slept soundly. However, outside in the darkness, Ryoga Hibiki stood in a puddle and read the sign by the gate, "Tendo Dojo." The umbrella above his head kept all of the rain off of him. His thoughts were grim. ‹Tonight, Ranma, you meet your end.›

The boy jumped over the wall, rather than opening the gate with its attached bell. Moving stealthily, he crept up to the house and slid one of the doors to the side. His pack on his back and still carrying his umbrella, Ryoga moved quietly through the darkness. Figuring that the bedrooms would be on the second floor, he made his way up the stairs.

The very first door he opened showed a pigtailed figure lying on a futon, and Ryoga grinned in victory. He crept over to it and in a fierce whisper said, "Wake up, Ranma. It's me, Ryoga."

In a bedroom down the hall, a pair of eyes snapped open. Akane looked at the monitor. She was sure she had heard someone speak, although she hadn't awakened quickly enough to catch the words. Ranma couldn't talk, so whose voice had that been? Her hand slowly reached out for the shinai leaning against the wall.

Akane then heard the words, "Fight me! Hey! Ranma! Would you wake up?!" There was the sound of a soft impact.

Akane jumped out of bed, and ran down the hall carrying the shinai.

In the guest room, Ryoga had tried to hit Ranma to wake him up, but the sleeping boy had rolled to the side at the last moment. Thus Ryoga's fist had smashed through the pillow, causing the soft impact Akane had heard. Feeling frustrated, Ryoga grabbed Ranma's shoulders, shook him, and shouted, "Wake up, dammit!"

It was, quite possibly, the worst thing he could have done. Ranma awoke to find a male figure over him, shouting angrily, holding him pinned by his shoulders. His sleep filled mind reached a conclusion which bore no resemblance to Ryoga's intentions, aside from violence, and adrenalin flooded into Ranma's bloodstream.

The bloodcurdling scream of ‹_Noooo_!› which echoed through Ranma's head was heard only by himself. Akane yanked the door open just in time to see someone fly up through the air and crash into the ceiling. Ranma leaped to his feet, looking almost as if he had been yanked upward by his fist which had caused Ryoga's flight into the ceiling. As Ryoga bounced back down, Ranma was already spinning. Ryoga screamed in pain as the kick connected, then went flying through the air to shatter the window and continue his flight into the air outside.

Akane flipped on the light switch to see Ranma standing there, breathing hard, eyes looking wild. She approached slowly, speaking softly, "Ranma? Ranma, are you all right?"

Ranma took a deep, shaky breath, then nodded. He walked over toward the broken window and picked an umbrella up off the floor, holding it out for Akane's inspection.

"Ryoga?" she asked rhetorically. "The nerve! Attacking you in your sleep like that."

Kasumi peeked in through the doorway. "What's going on?" she wanted to know. "Is it a burglar?"

Akane replied, "No. It was that boy Ryoga Hibiki. The one who keeps attacking Ranma. He must have snuck into the house. Ranma kicked him out through the window."

"Oh," Kasumi said thoughtfully. She looked at the clock. Quarter after two. She had to be up in less than three hours. "Do you think it's safe to go back to bed?"

"Go ahead, oneechan," Akane told her. "We'll take care of it."

Ranma nodded and Kasumi departed. The young man pulled on a pair of pants and some slippers, picked up the umbrella without bothering to open it, then jumped out through the window. The rain immediately changed him into a girl. Akane ran down the hall to grab her robe and her own slippers, then went down the stairs to emerge from the side door that Ryoga had left open.

As she stepped out onto the engawa, Ranma walked back from the yard carrying a backpack and some clothing. His face was puzzled. Motioning her back inside, he made the sign they had learned for 'pen.' Akane stepped over to a cabinet, and came back with pen and paper.

Ranma wrote, "Found these outside. It's Ryoga's pack and clothing."

Akane looked disgusted. "Why would he take off his clothes to run away? What sort of pervert _is_ he?"

Ranma thought about it, and his eyes suddenly widened. He wrote, "Jusenkyo," then went back and underlined it. "Baka must have followed me there. After he missed the duel. The rain transformed him. Something small, since his clothes aren't ripped."

"Oh!" Akane exclaimed in a tone of enlightenment. "_That's_ why he's so angry with you! He must blame you for being cursed." She thought about that. "Which is pretty stupid. It's his fault that he followed you there."

Ranma shrugged his shoulders, as if to point out that he wasn't privy to the inner workings of Ryoga Hibiki's mind.

Akane peered out into the rain and darkness. "Do you think ... Do you think we ought to go out and look for him? I mean, he's wandering out there somewhere, as some sort of animal. Even if he does keep attacking you, it just seems ..."

Ranma blew a breath out, then wrote, "What can we do? Checked the yard while I was out there. No sign. With his sense of direction - no telling where he might have gone. If he's a bird, he may already be passing the south edge of Tokyo." He glanced at the clock. Two thirty already.

"That's a _bit_ of an exaggeration," Akane pointed out. "Still, you're right. We wouldn't know where to begin looking, or what kind of animal he is. I suppose there's nothing we can do. Let's leave his pack and clothes out on the engawa, they'll stay relatively dry there."

Ranma dumped the pack, clothing and umbrella, then came back in, shutting the door behind him. As they turned to head back upstairs, Akane asked hesitantly, "Do you ... want to spend the rest of the night with me? I mean, even if you're not still upset from the attack, the window in your room is broken and there's glass on the floor. You're already a girl. So ...?"

Ranma thought about it. On the one hand, he wanted to prove he was strong enough to sleep by himself. On the other hand, she had a valid point. He wanted to get back to sleep, not worry about cleaning his room tonight before he could do so. He could always sleep in the guest room by himself Monday night.

He nodded, then wrote, "Going to get a towel. Meet you in your room."

Akane smiled and headed up the stairs, while Ranma went down the hall to the furoba. As soon as she entered her room, Akane paused, her senses warning her. Some slight sound she had heard, perhaps. A sudden movement to her side, and she swung around in a kick. A black blur bounced off of the wall, letting out an agonized, "Bweee!"

Akane knelt down on the floor, seeing a small, black piglet. "Where'd you come from, little fellow?" she asked it. "Come here, little piggy. Don't be afraid." She picked the pig up, cradling it against her chest. It gave a squeal, and she held it back out again. "Oh, you're hurt, you poor thing. And you're sopping wet, too."

Ranma chose that moment to enter the bedroom. He had taken the time to change his clothes, and was drying his hair. He paused in considerable astonishment, then picked up his pad from the desk and wrote, "What's that?"

"It's a pig, Ranma," Akane told him.

Ranma rolled his eyes upward. He wrote, "I meant what's it doing here? Where's it from?" He frowned as the little pig started squealing and snorting in his direction.

"I don't know," Akane answered. "He was in the room when I came up here. He must have wandered into the house to get out of the rain. He seems to be hurt, but I don't think we can do much about that tonight. Can you give me your towel so I can dry him off?"

Ranma gave her a long-suffering look, while thinking, ‹Girls and pets. Sheesh!› He handed over the towel though, and watched as she dried the animal then held it close. The little pig snuggled happily against her bosom.

‹Hentai pig,› Ranma thought, though without any animosity. He climbed into the bed, facing the wall. He failed to see the pig's eyes widen as he did so.

Akane looked down at the cute creature in her arms. "Come on, little piggy. Let's go to sleep." She slid into bed beside Ranma, with her back to him, snuggling the pig up close to her. With Akane lying between the two of them, the pig settled down, pressing itself up close to her soft curves. Akane reached up and turned off the lamp on her desk.

Several minutes passed as eyes gently closed, sleep creeping back over them. Suddenly the red-haired girl's eyes shot open. ‹No. He wouldn't.› Ranma told himself. He rolled over, and levered himself up on one elbow, looking at the small pig leaning against Akane's chest.

He studied the animal in the dim light, and his eyes narrowed as they focused on the cloth around its neck. ‹The neckerchief. Damn if it isn't the same ... Ryoga!› The little pig opened its eyes and saw Ranma over Akane's shoulder, staring at it. It gave a soft snort. A calculating look came into the pig's eyes, then, seeing that it had Ranma's full attention, it gave him a smug grin and deliberately nuzzled into Akane's cleavage.

To be fair, Ryoga wasn't thinking at all about what he was doing to Akane, other than how nice it felt to be cuddled by her. In fact, if he had stopped to consider what he was doing, he would probably have suffered a massive nosebleed. As it was, his attention was all on pissing Ranma off. Unfortunately for him, he succeeded.

From Ranma's point of view, what he saw was Ryoga Hibiki, using his curse to purposefully molest Akane. Akane, who had rescued him, cared for him, comforted him through nights and nightmares. He felt the neko-ken begin to rise up under the swell of his fury, but fought it back down.

Ryoga saw the change in Ranma's eyes, but did not recognize the danger quickly enough. A hand shot out faster than the eye could follow, yanking the pig up by its neckerchief. It squealed, and Akane muzzily complained, "Ranma ...? What ...?"

Ranma climbed over Akane, still holding the pig out from his body, while its legs kicked futilely. Akane sat up and turned on the lamp. She gasped as she saw Ranma's face. It was dark with rage. "Ranma, what's going on? What are you doing to the little pig?"

Ranma motioned with his free hand for Akane to follow, then marched out of the room. Extremely confused, Akane climbed out of her bed and went after him. Ranma led the way downstairs and back to the furoba. He turned on the hot water, allowing the furo to fill. The pig looked down at the water gathering below it and started squealing even harder.

Akane watched these antics, trying to decide whether Ranma had gone insane. Then between one moment and the next, relays finally closed in her brain, and a hand shot up to cover her mouth. "No! Oh no! It can't be! He wouldn't!"

Sufficient water had filled the tub. Ranma threw the pig down, hard. Hot water splashed, and a naked Ryoga was sitting in the furo in front of the two girls, hands diving between his legs to hide his private parts. Akane backed away, shaking her head. This boy had been in her bed, groping her. Her thoughts were chaotic, having no patience for logic. Had he been planning to change back at some point during the night? Had he planned to attack her in her sleep?

Ryoga was looking only at Ranma, whom he had already recognized earlier in his female form from the previous day at the bicycle shed. Both boys' faces wore expressions of anger, and Ryoga lunged forward, only to fall short wincing in pain from a rib which had been fractured by the kick earlier that night. "Damn you Ranma!" he grunted. "You are dead!"

Ryoga grabbed for Ranma again, pressing one arm tight against his chest. However, Ranma was enraged and in no mood to cut him any slack. He spun and kicked backward, slamming Ryoga over to the side. Akane saw the boy coming at her, the boy who had groped her. Ryoga was still looking back toward Ranma, and never saw Akane's fist shoot out like a battering ram. He found out, though, when it connected. With another cry of pain, Ryoga flew across the furo and crashed into the opposite wall.

Akane marched around the furo to where Ryoga was trying to scrabble to his feet, arm pressed even harder to his chest. The boy's face was a mask of pain. She shoved him back down, none too gently. Grabbing a nearby stool, she threw it over his lower region to spare herself the sight, not caring about his additional wince of pain at the impact.

"You dared!" she hissed. "You _dared_ to sneak into my bed, to press yourself up against me!"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoga complained through a haze of pain. "Ranma was in your bed before I was."

"I _invited_ Ranma into my bed," Akane told him menacingly. "And I already knew about his curse when I did so," she added, not getting into complications about the first night. "And _he_ has never tried to grope me, or take advantage in any other way!"

"But ... but ... he put me through _hell_!" Ryoga protested. "It's because of him that I have this curse! It's because of him that I was almost eaten the very first day that I had this curse!"

Akane snarled, "And just what, by all that's holy, does that have to do with you sneaking into my bed and groping me, you pervert!"

Ryoga blushed, and looked down. "It's all Ranma's fault," he muttered.

Akane snorted like an enraged bull, matched by a quieter expulsion of breath from Ranma's direction. "If you want to challenge Ranma because of your _stupidity_ in following him to Jusenkyo, then that's your business, but do it elsewhere! And I'll stand by and cheer Ranma on while he rips you apart. But I swear, if I ever find you within these four walls again, or even within _spitting_ distance of my house, I will see to it that no woman _ever_ has a use for you! Do you understand me?!"

Ryoga gulped; her threat had echoed with chilling promise. He bobbed his head up and down rapidly.

"Good!" Akane pointed. "Your clothes and pack are out on the engawa where you came in. Get them and get out of here!"

Ryoga bounced up and ran off, one hand in front and the other behind. By some miracle, or maybe clarity brought on by sheer terror, he headed straight for the door and made no wrong turns on his way out. Akane crossed her arms and growled as she stared after his retreating form.

"I do not _believe_ he did that," Akane grumbled deeply. She looked over at Ranma, who was watching her with a light dancing in his eyes. She found herself smiling in response despite her present mood. "Oh, come on. Let's get back to bed. It must be past three by now!"

* * *

On Monday morning at breakfast, Kasumi asked about the disturbance during the night, so Akane explained about Ryoga's attack on Ranma. She felt too mortified to tell anyone about the pig sleeping in her bed. Instead she bent the truth and described Ranma finding the pig outside and thereby discovering Ryoga's Jusenkyo curse. Akane also drew the connection from this to why Ryoga kept attacking Ranma, because he blamed Ranma for the curse.

After breakfast, Ranma followed Akane up to her room. As they reached her door, she turned to him to ask, "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

Ranma smiled, then stepped around her. He walked to Akane's closet and pulled out her school uniform and a sweatsuit. He pointed to her uniform, then to her schoolbag. He pointed to the sweatsuit, then at her. Next he pulled out his pad and wrote, "You start walking walls today. You don't want people to see up your dress."

Akane's cheeks grew rosy. "Okay, but I don't have room in my schoolbag. I think I've got a small backpack in my closet. I'll carry the uniform in that."

Ranma nodded and left the room so she could change, going down the hall to put on his own uniform. He looked at it with a sigh, but pulled it on with a resigned expression. He and Akane met in the hall, and found Nabiki waiting for them at the front door.

"I want to see how little sister does at this," she told them.

They soon reached the first wall. Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote, "After you're up there, walk steadily. Try to look forward, not at your feet. I'll be behind you. You've jumped a lot higher, so remember how to land if you fall."

Ranma then motioned her to jump up and Akane did so. She did very well on the first wall, but then it was quite thick, at least thirty centimeters. The next one was brick and only about eight centimeters. A short distance along it, Akane teetered to the side, lost her balance completely, and fell. She got her feet under her and landed lightly, immediately bouncing off the ground and atop the wall once more.

"That's one," Nabiki called out. Akane shot her a glower, then started walking forward once more. She had to jump back down to the sidewalk when that wall ended, and continue down there for several blocks, before walking one more short stretch of wall without incident. As she jumped down for the last time, Ranma landed beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her a congratulatory nod. Akane felt pleased at the unspoken compliment as they went together into the school.

Akane changed back into her sweatsuit at the end of the school day. She slipped off the wall once more on the way home, when a dog's bark startled her. This was accompanied by Nabiki's call of, "That's two." Akane fumed a little at this, but stoically continued her walk.

That night, Ranma managed to sleep by himself in the guest room without any nightmares or anyone attacking him. On the other hand, the lack of nightmares may have had something to do with the fact that he spent a very restless night, never sleeping for more than an hour at a stretch without waking up again and only slowly falling to sleep once more. As a result, he was a little cranky the next morning.

Akane didn't fall off the walls a single time on Tuesday morning. That afternoon as they were walking home, she suddenly paused, looking down into a courtyard separated by her current wall from the street. A young woman with long black hair, wearing a brown school uniform, was standing there. Facing her were three opponents, holding clubs, their faces entirely hidden by bandages.

"What the hell is going on here?" Akane wondered aloud, speaking quietly in an aside to Ranma.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Be sure to tune in for chapter 6, in which a gymnast makes a mistake.

In case you're wondering, Ryoga will be back eventually.

I have added a forum for discussion of my stories and related topics. See my profile page for the link. The first topic added is for people to discuss punishments they think would have been more appropriate in _War Cry_.

Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site and LiveJournal site. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time.


	6. Gymnastics

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 6. Gymnastics**

Akane and Ranma stood on the wall, looking down into the courtyard on the other side. There, they saw a girl wearing a brown school uniform, being menaced by three opponents whose faces were hidden by bandages. Nabiki, in her role of counting the number of times Akane fell while wall-walking, had been following the two in a more normal fashion, along the sidewalk. Noticing that they had stopped, she stopped as well, but was unable to see what had captured their attention. She called up to them for information.

Instead of answering her sister, Akane turned to Ranma, asking, "Do you think we should do something? It is three to one odds."

Ranma was female, due to having been splashed on the way home by the old woman, the one he had come to think of as the 'ninja ladle lady.' He considered Akane's question while he watched the scene playing out in front of him. The way the girl positioned herself, the confidence in her stance, indicated a certain amount of martial arts skill, and she seemed to be very graceful in her movements. He suspected she could defend herself fairly well, and if not, they could intervene easily. He turned to face Akane for a brief moment, shook his head in the negative, then turned back to continue watching.

Nabiki again demanded to know what was going on. She had an instinct for the sort of thing that could be used to earn funds and right now that instinct was telling her that this was something she should know about.

Akane turned to answer Nabiki just as the three bandaged figures pulled out clubs and attacked. The girl snapped out some sort of long ribbon, and used it to beat her opponents off with ease. Akane and Ranma weren't close enough to hear anything that was being said, but they could see it all clearly enough.

The three attackers crouched down, utterly beaten and covering their heads with bandaged hands. The ribbon kept snapping, inflicting further damage on them, despite the fact that they were obviously helpless. Ranma waved Akane to follow, then jumped down into the middle of the one-sided battle, where he grabbed the end of the long ribbon with one hand. He studied the girl at the other end with a quizzical expression.

The girl wielding the ribbon stared back at Ranma, seeing only a girl who had dared to interfere. She spoke, sounding amused despite glittering eyes, "You caught that ribbon as if it were nothing! If you'll forgive me, you seem to be no ordinary girl."

She seemed to pay no attention to Akane, who had landed just to one side of Ranma. At least, not until Akane laughed and answered, "Yeah, you might say that."

The girl gave Akane a look of disdain, declaring, "Good, because I prefer not to treat girls with ordinary courtesy!" She moved even as she spoke, using a foot to gracefully flip one of the discarded clubs up into the air. She caught it easily and lunged forward to strike at Ranma's head.

Ranma was no longer there. Although the girl attacked swiftly, without provocation and without telegraphing her intent, he ducked under the blow, and swept his attacker's legs out from under her. She recovered immediately, somersaulting to land back on her feet. Ranma and Akane both shifted into subtle stances, in case she should try to attack again.

As it turned out, she did nothing of the sort. She posed before them, sneering. "You are quite good, but I am the Black Rose of St. Hebereke's School for Girls. Kodachi, the Black Rose. Please don't forget it." A rose appeared in her hand, which did indeed have black petals. With a flick of her wrist she tossed it to Ranma, then jumped away over the wall, laughing maniacally.

Nabiki had spent the entirety of the short fight looking for a gate in the wall and she entered the courtyard just in time to witness this departure. Scowling with frustration, she demanded, "Who the hell was that? _What_ is going on?"

"She said her name was Kodachi," Akane told her sister, "Kodachi the Black Rose." She pointed at the flower Ranma was holding. "You know, sort of like old Blue Thunder Kuno. Come to think of it, she talks a bit like Kuno too."

The three bandaged figures were suddenly kneeling around Akane. "Oh, Tendo-san, you have to help us," they wailed.

Akane had stiffened at their sudden motion, wondering if they were about to attack, and was slow to relax even after their posture made it apparent they would not. "Wh-What's going on?" Akane stammered nervously. "Who are you?"

They ripped the bandages from their faces, revealing three girls who were in the same grade at Furinkan as Akane and Ranma. "We're the Furinkan Rhythmic Gymnastic Team!" said one.

"We've been so humiliated!" cried another.

"That Kodachi ambushed us!" exclaimed the third.

"She injured all three of you?" Nabiki asked.

"Yes," answered the first girl. "The entire team is unable to compete. We'll have to withdraw from the match with St. Hebereke."

"That's why she did it," the second girl added. "Kodachi is the captain of the gymnastic team at St. Hebereke."

"Could you take our place, Tendo-san?" the third girl begged. "There's nothing else we can do. The match is supposed to be a martial arts contest. The schools' champions fight with the techniques of rhythmic gymnastics."

"Well ..." Akane's expression firmed. "Very well. I will avenge you! When is the match?"

"Oh, thank you, Tendo-san!" all three gymnasts cried. "The match is one week from today, at St. Hebereke."

Ranma, listening to the exchange, felt increasingly dubious about the whole affair. True, Akane was an excellent martial artist by ordinary standards, and was even approaching the qualification of "good" by his standards. A long, long way from being _his_ equal, but then he felt that way about everyone. The point was, in a straight up martial arts contest with this Kodachi, he'd bet on Akane to win hands down.

The problem was, it didn't sound like it was supposed to be an ordinary martial arts contest. They had said something about fighting with the techniques of rhythmic gymnastics, whatever the hell those were. Did Akane know _anything_ about such a sport? He knew that he didn't. This Kodachi had some martial arts skill and, as captain of her team, was probably very skilled at this gymnastics stuff.

On the other hand, Akane had already given her word. Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote, "Akane needs someone to teach her these gymnastic techniques. Are you fit enough to do so?" He showed the paper to the girls.

"Oh, Ranma, it's you!" one of the girls exclaimed. "I forgot about your curse. Yes, I think we can help Tendo-san to learn the techniques." She looked around at the other girls, who nodded, although they now seemed a little less enthusiastic. "We only have a week so we'll have to practice pretty extensively."

Akane suggested, "We can use my dojo. Can you come over every afternoon and evening, between now and the match?"

Again the three girls consulted one another by eye, then nodded. "Yes, we'll do it. We have to. We'll show that Kodachi!"

One girl looked at Ranma, her eyes traveling up and down his female form. "You should have a second at the match, and it would help to have a training partner. Could you do it Ranma?"

Nabiki let out a sudden snort. "Don't the contestants wear leotards for these events?" she inquired innocently. "Tight, form-fitting leotards? I admit, it'll be interesting to see Ranma, as a girl, wearing something like that."

Ranma's cheeks colored. The idea of the men in the audience ogling his female form in a leotard was intensely unsettling. On the other hand, Akane needed him. Someone had to be her second, and in his opinion he was definitely the best qualified. It might not be so bad, he tried to tell himself, since Akane would be the one doing the actual fighting and should therefore get most of the attention. He wrote, "I'll do it," and showed the words to Akane and the gymnasts.

"Great!" one of the gymnasts enthused. "We'll meet you at your house in, say, half an hour?"

"We'll be waiting," Akane promised.

* * *

The training session started out as badly as Ranma had envisioned. He watched in resignation as Akane dropped clubs, broke a hoop, and tangled herself up in a ribbon. He didn't do much better himself.

Thankfully, the girls of the Furinkan Rhythmic Gymnastics Team were patient, and did not become too very discouraged by these initial blunders. He and Akane started doing better once they began listening to advice and worked on mastering the basics before trying the fancy stuff. They had barely reached that point when they had to call a halt so that Akane and Ranma could keep their Tuesday appointment.

Mitaka was generally supportive concerning the match. The audience would mostly be focused on the two opponents in the ring, Akane and Kodachi. As such, Ranma should not be feeling the weight of the crowd's regard so much as to become upset by it, and it might do some good to spend time in a public setting in his female form. She considered the potential problems if something were to happen to Akane and Ranma were to take her place in the match. Mitaka decided not to bring up this unlikely possibility with the two teenagers, but privately concluded that if any such thing did happen, she would insist that Ranma forfeit the match.

The evening session was spent drilling the same basic moves over and over again. Ranma mastered each move first, which Akane found a bit disheartening, but he would then work on it with her until she had it as well. The biggest problem was that the gymnasts who were teaching them were too injured to show them the moves as they were meant to be performed. Some techniques they could perform in slow motion, but for others they had to settle for describing it until Akane or Ranma figured out what they were supposed to do.

None of them saw the figure which appeared atop the wall that surrounded the Tendo property, a figure which silently watched the goings on through the open door of the dojo. Kodachi was amused that the Furinkan gymnasts would ask for help from such untrained girls. Almost she was tempted to let the match proceed, so that she might humiliate the Furinkan "champion" in front of an audience. However, this went against her principles, and she resolved to deal with this girl Akane Tendo in the usual manner later that night.

After the other girls finally left, Akane told Ranma that she was exhausted and went in to soak in the furo for a while. Ranma sighed with relief as he changed back to a boy after having spent most of the afternoon and evening in his cursed form. Left to his own devices, he decided to wander out into the yard, to enjoy the cool night air and the light of the nearly full moon. He spent the time reflecting on some of the things he had discussed with Mitaka-sensei that afternoon. In addition to the gymnastics match, they had talked about the neko-ken training Ranma had been subjected to by his father at the age of ten, and some of the unresolved issues he still had from that experience.

After her bath, Akane went up to her bedroom wearing pajamas. In her fatigued state, she completely forgot that she should find Ranma and tell him that the furoba was now free for his use. She had barely entered the room when her instincts screamed a warning at her, and she dove to one side just in time to avoid the weapon targeting her head.

Kodachi cursed as she dropped to the floor and the large mallet she swung barely missed the Tendo girl. She had been clinging to the ceiling for nearly half an hour since the girl had come back into the house, and was quite incensed that after such a long wait she had failed in her attack.

"Kodachi!" snarled Akane. "So now you're trying to ambush me as well?"

"Ambush?!" protested Kodachi with an air of total innocence. "What a nasty way to put it! I simply believe in fighting in all fairness ... before the match." She hefted her mallet again.

Akane eyed the other girl warily, prepared for anything she might attempt. Kodachi stepped forward confidently and swung her mallet. Having watched the training session, Kodachi thought she had Akane's measure. This was a mistake, as Ranma could have told the gymnast. As Ranma had realized earlier that day, in an ordinary fight the odds were heavily in Akane's favor.

Akane ducked under the swing, placing herself behind Kodachi as the momentum of the heavy hammer carried her forward. Akane's leg snapped out straight, the heel of her foot driving into her attacker's back. Kodachi flew out the bedroom window, dazed by the blow.

Ranma was standing in the yard below, and had looked up when he heard noises coming from above. In astonishment, he saw a figure hurtle out of the window, in an uncontrolled tumble. Without pausing to think, Ranma jumped into the air. He caught the person in mid-flight, and landed with her on the roof. It was only then that he identified her as the girl he'd seen fighting the Furinkan gymnasts earlier in the day.

Kodachi looked up into the face of the young man holding her in his arms, who had just saved her from a nasty fall. ‹Oh, he's gorgeous,› she thought. ‹I must have him! A little show of fear on my part should encourage my bold rescuer.›

Kodachi threw her arms around Ranma, hugging him tightly, fingers gripping his shirt. "Oh! I was so _frightened_!" she exclaimed. "How can I thank you?" She was careful to rub certain portions of herself against the young man.

Ranma's sensitive nerves were jangling. He didn't _like_ having some stranger holding him like this, pressing herself against him. He began breathing hard, and tried to detach her. At first his attempt was gentle, but as she continued to cling he became more desperate, causing Kodachi to gasp in pain as she finally released him. He watched her warily, trying unsuccessfully to slow his breathing, to calm down.

‹He's shy. How cute. And so strong!› Kodachi thought, breathing hard herself for a very different reason. ‹I'd nearly given up hope of finding a man to love. To think that such a wonderful encounter was waiting for me!›

Kodachi rearranged her expression into what she imagined to be an appearance of a shy young woman, and asked, "Please, sir, may I ask your name?"

Ranma, having no means to answer, could only shake his head slightly.

Kodachi giggled. "There is no need to be so shy, kind sir. Here, would you please accept these as a token of my gratitude." From somewhere behind herself, Kodachi pulled out a bunch of black roses and held them forward.

In the room below, Akane was looking out of her window, wondering if Kodachi had run off. She heard voices from above, and turned her face up to look at the eave of the roof. Coming to a decision, she climbed up onto her windowsill.

Ranma, barely starting to recover from his small panic attack and not knowing what else to do, took the flowers from Kodachi. Just as she released the stems, he felt a brief puff of air in his face. It was suddenly difficult to move, and he felt himself falling to the roof tiles.

Kodachi caught hold of him as he fell, and eased Ranma to a reclining position. All of his previous nervousness was suddenly back, full force. The girl explained, "You'll be fine. Just a bit of paralysis gas in the bouquet."

Ranma looked up at her angrily. This girl was completely insane! He tried desperately to move his arms or legs, but they would not answer to him. Fear started to flood into him as he felt himself flashing back on another occasion when he had been unable to move his arms or legs.

Kodachi straddled Ranma's body, pressing herself against him. She looked into Ranma's eyes from a short distance and in a sultry voice said, "Now, my handsome samurai, be bold, be brave, and take these lips of mine!" She pressed her chest against his and slowly moved her face forward to kiss the boy deeply.

Ranma saw it coming and started screaming inside his head. He was helpless, _again_! Someone had bound his body so that he couldn't move, and was about to take her pleasure from him _against his will_, with no concern for what he might want. When she finished speaking and her face began its descent toward his, Ranma once again felt the neko-ken riding upon the terror and pressing into his mind. This time he welcomed it, and the cat roared into him.

Akane jumped up to the roof just in time to see Kodachi pause, her lips a bare centimeter from Ranma's. Both girls had felt the aura explode into existence around Ranma, crackling like static electricity. Ranma's humanity slipped away from his mind as the cat took over, and his mouth opened and released a roar of fury, startling Kodachi, but startling Akane even more. It was the first true sound she had ever heard Ranma voice.

Time had seemed to slow, though only scant seconds passed from the moment the strange aura had enveloped Ranma. Kodachi had begun to react to the roar from the boy below her, but had only moved back a few centimeters when she felt a blow slam into her gut. However, the blow was as nothing compared to the piercing, ripping sensation which tore into her belly.

Kodachi's scream tore through the stillness of the dark night.

Akane had frozen at the sound of Ranma's roar, but now ran forward as Kodachi fell to Ranma's side. Nearby streetlights allowed her to dimly see the dark liquid flowing off of the girl's stomach and starting to run in thin rivulets down the slope of the roof. She heard her family calling out below, asking what was going on, as she fell to her knees beside the gymnast and tried to staunch the flow.

"Ranma, what have you done?" Akane yelled harshly. "Go and get help! Hurry!" Instead the boy came up beside her, on all fours, and she heard a low grumbling coming from his throat. Glancing to the side, she saw him watching Kodachi, with a look which suggested he was thinking of finishing her off.

Several things clicked for Akane, and she realized that Ranma must have used the neko-ken. More, that he wasn't in control, that there was currently no human mind there for her to try to reach. Icy fingers ran along her spine as she wondered whether he might attack her as well. She had little time to spend on fear, however, given the problem in front of her.

Akane called out to the voices from below, which were still trying to pinpoint the disturbance and find out what had happened. "Kasumi, call an ambulance, fast! I'm up on the roof, and there's someone here who's bleeding to death! Daddy, come up here and help me get her down! Ranma's in the neko-ken and can't understand me!"

Akane hoped her father wouldn't choose this moment to break down and get all emotional. She wasn't very worried about it, though, since she herself wasn't hurt. A moment later a ladder appeared at the edge of the roof and Soun climbed up and hurried over. He stopped short, however, when a hissing Ranma jumped menacingly in front of him.

"Oh, damn! Ranma, please!" Akane was nearly ready to start crying. She saw Nabiki's face appear atop the ladder and shouted, "Nabiki, he might let you past. Get over here, please?"

Nabiki finished climbing to the roof and hurried over. It took all of her willpower to scoot past Ranma, who was giving her a look which made her blood run cold. Akane quickly had Nabiki take her place, to press on the four punctures in Kodachi's abdomen, and then she ran over to Ranma. She wrapped her arms around him and started speaking as soothingly as she could manage under the circumstances.

"Ranma, you've got to let daddy help. Please, Ranma, listen to me. Let daddy by. Let us help Kodachi. Can you understand? ..."

She went on in this vein. Soun noted that Ranma seemed to have turned his attention on Akane and slipped past. He hastily assessed the situation, then told his middle daughter, "Follow me down quickly." With one last look to where Akane was still holding Ranma, Soun lifted the unfamiliar girl into his arms. Praying that he still remembered how to do this, he jumped from the roof, and landed lightly on the ground below.

Soun quickly lay the girl down on the engawa. Kasumi appeared at that moment carrying a towel, and her father ripped open the portion of the girl's leotard where she had been wounded and pressed the folded towel against the injury. He directed Kasumi to lift the girl's legs a little. When Nabiki came in sight, he directed her to go get a couple of blankets.

Up on the roof, Akane was still holding Ranma, trying to soothe him. It seemed to be working, as he didn't seem to be as tense any longer. He looked up at her and made a little sound. It sounded like a cat's meow, vaguely interrogative.

"Oh, Ranma," Akane said quietly, tears leaking out. "Why did this have to happen?" She looked at him, his eyes regarding her with an innocence free of malice. Ranma lay down on the roof, curling up next to her, and Akane heard a soft rumbling coming from him. After it continued for a minute or so, Akane realized that he was purring.

She smiled down at him. "Well, at least in this state you can speak to me. I wonder how to get you back, so I can ask what happened? You never said how you come out of it."

A siren approached and stopped in the street outside. Akane listened to the sound of the paramedics working below. "I wonder what daddy told them? I suppose he can honestly say he has no idea what happened. For that matter, he can tell them he doesn't even know who she is. Nabiki knows, but she'll keep her wits about her."

Before long, the noises below indicated that they were carrying Kodachi away. The siren faded into the distance. A minute later Soun climbed back up to the roof and stared down at his youngest daughter and house guest. "What happened?" he asked wearily.

"That was Kodachi, the gymnast I was supposed to fight next week," Akane told him. "She was waiting in my room after my bath and attacked me. I kicked her out through the window. When I looked out to see if she was all right, I couldn't see her.

"Then I heard sounds from the roof. When I jumped up, Kodachi was on top of Ranma and at that very moment he went into the neko-ken. I could _feel_ it. It was the scariest thing I ever felt. He punched her in the stomach and ... well, you saw the result."

"So you don't know what was happening before that?" Soun asked.

Akane shook her head. "No. We'll have to wait and ask Ranma. He seems to think he's a cat right now, just like he told us. Do you have any idea how to bring him back?"

Her father shook his head. A voice came from the ladder, and father and daughter looked over to see Nabiki's head poking up. "Why not pour some ice water on him? If the shock of the water doesn't bring him out of it, maybe the transformation to female will."

Akane looked over at Nabiki in astonishment, then chuckled. "Maybe that'll work. It's worth trying anyway. Thanks, sis." She looked up at Soun. "Could you get some ice water, daddy?"

He nodded and climbed back down. Before long he was back with a pitcher of water. As he handed it to her, he complained, "I'm either getting old, or I've let myself get too out of shape. Three times up that ladder, and I'm feeling a little out of breath."

Akane forbore to comment. She stood up, mumbled a quick prayer, and poured. Ranma leaped into the air, shaking wildly.

He stopped and looked around more slowly. His damp state and female attributes penetrated his awareness, and he saw Akane holding a pitcher. Soun was also standing nearby, and Nabiki was sitting at the edge of the roof looking smug. Ranma dug into his pocket for his pad and pen, pulling them out after a moment's struggle.

"What happened?" he wrote.

Akane pulled her friend into a hug with a happy exclamation of, "It worked!"

Nabiki preened herself over by the ladder. "Well, I thought it might."

Ranma looked from one to the other, and over to the girls' father who wore a serious expression. He pushed his pad toward Akane again, emphatically, wanting an answer.

Akane squinted to read the words in the dim light which was available. "That's what we'd like to know," she told him. "But let's get down and go inside where it'll be easier to read what you write."

Akane and Ranma jumped down to the ground, followed more slowly by Nabiki and Soun who both used the ladder. When they entered the family room they were met by Kasumi, who was already holding a steaming kettle of water. Ranma nodded absentminded thanks as she poured it over his head to restore his male body, but his attention was clearly focused on filling in the blanks of what had happened on the roof.

He quickly summarized what he could remember of how things began, together with how he had felt and his speculations on why it had roused the neko-ken. "The last thing I can remember was her lips about to kiss me," he wrote. "Then I felt the neko-ken fill me. After that, nothing."

He paused, then wrote, "Does anyone know if she did kiss me?"

"Why? Did you want her to kiss you?" Akane hissed, glaring at him.

Ranma stared at her, then his brows lowered. He stood up and walked outside. He stopped in front of a tree and seemed to be contemplating it. Suddenly his fist shot out, punching the tree so hard that several leaves fluttered down. After another minute of contemplation he came back in and sat down again.

Lifting his pad he wrote "NO!" and handed her the sheet. The next sheet he gave her contained only the word, "IDIOT." Akane looked angry, but Ranma was already writing again. "Sometimes I want my voice back just so I can yell back at you."

When she read that Akane dropped her eyes. For the first time she wondered what it would feel like if _she_ couldn't talk. If she were unable to vent her frustrations verbally, how would she react? Akane prayed that she never found out.

When she looked back up, Ranma seemed to have calmed down a little. He was watching her, a question in his eyes. After a moment, Akane remembered that he had in fact asked her a question.

"Uh, no, she didn't kiss you. She was about to, but then this aura surrounded you. It felt strange, kind of wild and ... and really scary. Then you punched her. After that things happened pretty fast."

Ranma wrote, "I didn't hurt her, did I?"

Akane stared back. It hadn't occurred to her that since Ranma couldn't remember what happened while he was in that state, he wouldn't know about any of what happened after. She looked around, but no one else was saying anything.

Akane licked dry lips. "Uh, Ranma. You punched her with those chi claws of yours. There were four big holes in her stomach. She, um, bled quite a bit before we got pressure on it. We called emergency, and an ambulance came and took her to the hospital."

Ranma was staring at Akane appalled. An icy wind blew through his soul at the thought that he had hurt someone so badly, and hadn't even been aware that he was doing it. At least when he had attacked the hentai horde, he had some awareness of what he was doing, and they were physically attacking Akane at the time. With this Kodachi girl, she hadn't been attacking him. Not exactly. He still wasn't happy with what she _had_ done, but still ... that was no excuse for hurting her so badly.

Ranma turned and ran off. Akane jumped to her feet to follow, but Kasumi was standing in her way. "Give him some time alone first," she told her younger sister. "In a little while you can go and try to comfort him."

Akane looked worriedly in the direction Ranma had left, but nodded. To give her something to do, Kasumi asked Akane to clean up the blood which had spilled on the engawa. While she watched her little sister do so, Kasumi made plans to have Ranma climb up onto the roof the next day to clean up the blood which would even now be drying there.

It was hard to wait, but Akane forced herself to do so. She heard Kasumi on the telephone, making a special appointment for Ranma to see Mitaka-sensei tomorrow. The younger girl gave a sigh of relief, feeling gratitude toward her big sister for thinking of the need. She wondered why she hadn't thought of it herself.

Eventually the point was reached where Akane couldn't take one more minute of sitting around doing nothing, while worrying abut Ranma and how he was feeling. She got up, carefully avoiding the looks her sisters gave her, and went looking for him. He was easily found in the first place she looked, in the dojo, sitting in seiza in front of the shrine. He seemed to be meditating. She knelt beside him, trying not to disturb him, but close enough so that he would know that he was not alone.

Ranma was indeed aware that she was there, but was too wrapped up in his own misery to acknowledge her presence. That he could have injured someone so seriously, without even being aware that he had done so, was deeply disturbing to him. What might happen the next time the neko-ken took him? What if next time it were someone he cared about in the hospital, someone like Akane?

On top of that, he had been forced to feel helpless again. The circumstances might not have been quite as ... serious, but the memory ate at him. He hated the feeling, and a small part of him was glad that he had sent the girl responsible to the hospital. Which only made him feel worse in the end.

Akane's quiet patience finally paid off. With a sigh, Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote, "Do you know how badly I hurt Kodachi?"

Akane bit her lip, but decided that the truth was best. "Pretty bad. She bled heavily at first. Everything else I know is what Kasumi told me after you ran in here. The wounds were apparently several centimeters deep. The paramedics told Kasumi that she'd need surgery - most of the internal damage was probably to her intestines. They did say she was in pretty good shape considering the sort of injury, that there didn't seem to be much danger that she'd ... well, you know, die or anything."

Ranma breathed out a surreptitious sigh of relief. Akane noticed it anyway. He then wrote, "What am I going to do? How can anyone trust me after this?"

Akane let some exasperation creep into her voice. He was wallowing in enough self pity without adding hers. "You said that she paralyzed you, and that caused you to flash back. How often is someone likely to do something like that to you? For that matter, in most circumstances if someone did something like that, they'd most likely be planning something where you'd be perfectly _justified_ in hurting them to get away."

These reasonable words actually caused Ranma's whirling thoughts to slow down for a bit, to consider them. He wasn't entirely convinced, but she had managed to turn him aside from his headlong flight to a conclusion which might have led to his either becoming a hermit or committing seppuku on the spot.

Akane backed off on the exasperation, but kept her tones serious. "I think it would be a good idea if you talked to Mitaka-sensei about all of this as soon as possible. She can probably help you straighten out how you're feeling, maybe even help you understand your reactions better. What do you think?"

Ranma thought about this. On reflection, he felt an almost desperate need to talk to his therapist, who could soothe his emotions much as one of Doctor Tofu's balms might soothe a sore. Besides, she had proved herself able to help him to understand things about himself that he had never realized before, but which were true all the same. Allowing a weak smile to curve his lips, Ranma nodded his agreement.

Akane gave him a real smile. "Good. Because Kasumi already made an appointment for you. You'll be seeing her tomorrow morning. I'm afraid you'll have to miss the first class period."

Ranma shrugged. Missing the first class was hardly something that would bother him unduly.

"That was the full neko-ken state tonight, wasn't it?" Akane asked next.

Ranma nodded.

"Did you know that you were able to make sounds while you were in it? With your mouth, I mean? You roared, kind of like a lion. And growled. And later, after Kodachi was gone and you calmed down, you sort of ... um ... _purred_."

Ranma looked surprised. He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but nothing emerged. He became frustrated and wrote, "No change. Still can't talk."

Akane felt sorry now that she had mentioned it. Feeling embarrassed, she responded, "Yeah, well, we already knew there was nothing physically wrong. I'm sure Mitaka-sensei will help you get your voice back eventually."

Hoping that she had done some good, and thinking about the need to get him up in the morning and to his therapist on time, Akane said, "It's getting pretty late, and we do have school tomorrow. For that matter, we've got to get up early in order to get to your appointment."

Ranma nodded listlessly.

Akane essayed a smile. "Okay, then. What do you say we turn in?"

Ranma was about to agree, when he realized he had never bathed after the gymnastics workout earlier. Besides he needed to change to female before he could join Akane in her room. He quickly wrote, "Bath first. Then bed. Won't be long."

Akane smiled and climbed to her feet, followed by Ranma. "Okay," she told him, still smiling. "I'll see you in a few minutes then."

* * *

Unbeknownst to Akane, Ranma, or even Nabiki, it was not merely in her speech patterns that Kodachi was related to Tatewaki Kuno. She was his sister. When the hospital called their home to report that she had been brought in with an abdominal injury and needed surgery, Kuno had rushed out of the house before receiving the full report.

He was stymied at the hospital however. Kodachi was still in surgery when he arrived, and he was informed that due to the drugs, he would not be able to see her until morning. He did remain until she left the operating room, giving him a chance to speak to the surgeon. The doctor reassured Kuno that his sister was doing fine, that her injuries, though serious, were not as bad as an external examination might have suggested. Barring unexpected complications, she would be able to go home in a couple of days.

Kuno was back at the hospital as soon as visiting hours started the next morning. One might think from all of this attention that he was truly devoted to his sister. If one did, one would be wrong. In truth, he could barely stand her presence, and she returned his feelings. All the same, someone had attacked a member of the Kuno clan, and this must be addressed.

When Tatewaki entered her room the next morning, Kodachi turned off the news report she had been watching on television. "What are you doing here, brother dear? Have you come to amuse yourself at how I have been laid low?"

Her brother allowed his glance to briefly take in her appearance. Kodachi's color was good, and the only obvious sign that anything was wrong with her was the IV tube in her arm. Perhaps also a degree of fatigue which was unusual in his normally far-too-lively sister. The bandages were, of course, concealed under the sheet which covered her to just below her shoulders.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Who has done this to you? For though the result is worthy, the miscreant must face the vengeance of heaven for daring to so smite a member of my family."

"Tone it down a bit, Tachi," she responded wearily. "I'm not in the mood this morning."

"The question remains, who did this?" he insisted.

Kodachi looked into the distance. "I was meting out justice to that little tramp, Akane Tendo. You know, that girl you were so obsessed with and couldn't stop talking about. She cheated of course, using her foot to kick me out of a window. A rather handsome man caught me before I reached the ground, saving me from a possible injury. Although he proved to be shy, I attempted to ... show him my ... favor ... but ..."

Her voice trailed off. She had been trying most of the morning to remember what happened next. "I felt something strange. He made a noise, almost an animal sound. Then something struck me, in the stomach. Quite horribly painfully, as I remember. After that ... nothing. I woke up here."

"Describe him," her brother said tersely.

Kodachi snorted in a ladylike fashion. Her brother's desire to mete out vengeance was obvious. For a moment she considered telling him nothing, as the young man last night had been quite handsome. But then again, he had apparently injured her, quite seriously. Enough that she would be forced to forfeit the match next week.

"He was about our age. Shorter than you. His hair was tied back in a pigtail."

"That will do," Tatewaki said, forestalling any further description. "I know the one of whom you speak. It is that shapeshifting demon. The very one known as Ranma. It must have attacked you with the same demonic powers it used to slice through my blade. For some reason I cannot fathom, the Tendo's are allowing it to dwell in their home."

"Feh!" Kodachi exclaimed softly, turning away. "You and your wild tales of a demon which changes between male and female. Take your childish fantasies away, and allow me to rest, that I may recover more quickly."

Kuno declared, "Since I have the information for which I came, I will be more than happy not to linger in your presence. Farewell, sister! And fear not! I shall have vengeance and retrieve the honor of the Kuno name." He turned and strode out the door. Kodachi reached for the television remote, and returned to the news.

* * *

The session with Mitaka helped Ranma quite a bit. By the time he left he felt confident that the circumstances under which Kodachi had been wounded had been unusual and weren't very likely to be repeated. On the other hand, he was very nervous and troubled with Mitaka's suggestion that he find Kodachi in the hospital and explain to her what had happened. The idea of revealing any weakness to a potential enemy troubled him deeply, but he agreed that after what had happened his victim was owed an explanation of some sort.

Akane watched Ranma carefully during lunch. She could see that he was thinking hard about something, and she presumed it had to do with the previous night's encounter. Despite the fact that he appeared considerably calmer after that morning's therapy session, she was still worried about him. She hoped that he would come over and talk to her about it, but instead she was left to wonder what was going through his head.

After they got home from school and changed, Ranma informed Akane that he would need to be late for their afternoon training, as he had an errand to run. He refused to explain further. Akane gave a harrumph and stalked off, tossing her hair in apparent disdain, leaving Ranma to slip his shoes back on. However, she returned moments after he left, putting her own shoes on her feet.

Ranma walked down the road toward the hospital surrounded by an air of palpable gloom, hands shoved deep into his pockets. It wasn't just the idea of revealing a weakness which troubled him. It was also his wounded honor, that he had put a girl into the hospital for so little cause. He was worrying himself over what that required of him. He was so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the figure trailing along behind him.

Akane stood behind a pillar, watching, as Ranma passed a note across to the woman sitting at the hospital information desk. As this woman read the note, she said aloud, "A girl named Kodachi? Brought in with abdominal injuries last night?" She took a minute to consult her computer. "Oh, you mean Kodachi Kuno? She's in room 315."

Akane tried to stifle her gasp on hearing Kodachi's last name, she truly did, but a small sound emerged despite her effort. She spun around to make sure that she was fully concealed behind the pillar, only to find herself looking straight into Ranma's eyes. His eyebrows were well up into his hairline.

"R-Ranma! Heh. Fancy meeting you here!"

The boy's mouth pursed in a fashion which made it clear that she'd have to do a lot better than that.

"Well, I ... I was worried about you! You wouldn't tell me what you were up to!"

Shaking his head, Ranma lifted his pad and pen and wrote, "I got to do this. It doesn't involve you. Not really. It's between me and Kodachi."

Akane huffed. "Okay. Maybe. But I can help. I was there. I saw most of it. I was there for the part that you don't remember."

Ranma bit his upper lip. There was something to what she was saying, but on the other hand her presence would be a complicating factor he hadn't counted on. If he let her stay, would she understand enough not to interfere? If he told her to go, would she really go, or would she just follow him again? With a deep sigh he motioned for her to follow as he turned toward the elevators.

As the elevator doors closed and they found themselves momentarily alone, Akane turned to Ranma, asking, "Did I hear right? Kodachi's last name is _Kuno_?" Her companion shrugged, his expression showing that he had been startled to hear the name himself.

When they reached the door with the number 315, Ranma knocked. Upon hearing a voice within call, "Come in," he opened the door, and the two of them entered the room.

Kodachi recognized Akane first. "What are _you_ doing here, peasant? Do you plan to attack me when I cannot defend myself?"

"Of course not. I'm not you!" Akane told her tartly. "Ranma wants to explain what happened. I came to help him out."

Kodachi looked over at the boy, finally recognizing him as the one who had saved her last night. And had then apparently put her in the hospital. "So, this is the one whom my brother says is a demon. Who changes back and forth between male and female?"

Akane and Ranma both stared back at her. "So Tatewaki Kuno is your _brother_?" Akane asked disbelievingly. It was hard to imagine Kuno as being so ordinary as to have a family.

Kodachi laughed gaily. "Well, we might each deny the relationship, but I fear it is so. Yes, dear Tachi is my brother. What he sees in _you_ I cannot possibly imagine." She turned to Ranma, not sure what to think of the boy who had both saved and harmed her. "Is it true that you are a demon?"

Ranma gave a snort. He pulled out his pad, wrote, "No. I'm human. But I do have a curse." He then handed the sheet to Kodachi, who read it.

"A curse, you say?" Her curiosity was piqued. "But why do you insist on writing notes? Are you truly so shy? Are you so overwhelmed by my presence as to be unable to speak to me?"

Ranma's eyes rolled up. Akane stepped in to say, "Ranma can't speak. I'm surprised your brother didn't think to mention that, considering he told you about Ranma changing into a girl."

Kodachi shook her head, replying in amusement laced with disinterest, "I have long ceased to speculate on how my brother chooses what things he regards as important, or not."

Akane added. "In any case, he's not a demon. In fact, his father is an old friend of my father."

Ranma motioned Akane back and she moved back with a frown to lean against the wall, arms crossed, regarding him with concern. He laboriously wrote on his pad and handed the paper to Kodachi.

"I'm not a demon. I was cursed in China, several weeks ago. Cold water turns me into a girl. Hot water changes me back to a boy."

"I am afraid I find the notion of such a curse difficult to believe," Kodachi told him with a smirk.

Ranma shrugged, then walked over to the bedside table, where there was a pitcher of water and a glass. He lifted the pitcher and stepped back from the bed, then slowly poured water over this head until the change took him. Kodachi stared at the red-haired girl who replaced the pitcher on the small table.

For the first time in her life, Kodachi was brought up short by the realization that there was more to the world than that portion which revolved around her. She surprised herself by actually managing to speak, though there was a distinct quaver in her voice. "Well, it would seem that my brother was not entirely mistaken after all. You really _can_ change into a girl."

After another moment, she recognized this girl as the one who had caught her ribbon yesterday, and who had been training with Akane the previous night. Her brows lowered. "So, did you attack me to prevent me from fighting in the match?" Any tendency she had felt to look upon the boy as a romantic figure was quickly evaporating.

Akane couldn't keep silent at this. "You're hardly one to talk, Kuno-san, given how you 'fought in all fairness before the match' with the members of the Furinkan gymnastics team. But no, that's not why Ranma ... did what he did. He ..."

She paused when Ranma turned and gave her a quelling look. He began writing again, handing the paper to Kodachi.

"I am deeply sorry for injuring you. I was highly stressed at the time, and not entirely sane.

"I was taught a flawed martial arts technique when I was younger, called the neko-ken. It involves a special state of mind, where I no longer realize I'm human. I think I'm a cat."

Kodachi blinked on reading this, befuddled. "A ... cat?"

Ranma nodded, and continued writing. "The neko-ken is triggered by certain kinds of stress. It happened last night, when you paralyzed me.

"I don't just think I'm a cat. It may sound crazy, but I have claws formed from chi. They can cut. Akane says I punched you with them."

The girl in the bed cleared her throat. "Yes. I remember that. It was quite ... painful." She looked the boy up and down, then gave a bitter, scornful laugh. "Claws formed of chi, you say? You are right, that does sound preposterous. Yet as I was the victim of these claws, it seems I must perforce believe."

The memory seemed to make her belly ache anew. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head back on her pillow. "And then? What happened next?"

Ranma turned to Akane, who took over the tale. "I got up to the roof in time to see you get hurt. I put pressure on the wound while my sister called for an ambulance. My father got you down off the roof while I tried to keep Ranma calm. He still thought he was a cat you see. After the ambulance took you to the hospital, my other sister suggested throwing some water on Ranma. I don't know if it was triggering his curse, or the shock of the water, but he came back to his senses."

Akane's eyes moved from Kodachi to Ranma, hesitating on him for a moment. Looking back, she added, "He was terribly upset when he found out what he'd done to you." Ranma sighed, and nodded his confirmation.

Kodachi opened her eyes once more, staring intently at Ranma. Her upper lip curled slightly, as if she were thinking of snarling. "It sounds to me like he, or I suppose _she_, for the moment, is rather dangerous to be allowed to run around loose. Does she attack everyone who shows her affection?"

Akane wanted to protest at Kodachi describing her own behavior as being a mere show of affection, but Ranma held his hand up to stop her. He wrote some more.

"The neko-ken is only triggered by special conditions. When I can't escape from certain fears. Those conditions should be rare.

"But you're right. You got hurt. By me. And you shouldn't have been."

The injured gymnast regarded him with a cool look, her amused demeanor completely forgotten by now. "What conditions? What did I do to warrant such an attack? A little paralysis which would soon wear off? A stolen kiss? Speak! Or ... um, write."

Ranma looked pained. He had known this subject would likely arise when Mitaka first convinced him to come here to apologize and explain about the neko-ken. But he still clung to a hope that he could avoid it. When he handed the next sheet to Kodachi, she read, "I'd rather not say. Can we just say I was scared, and leave it at that?"

She looked up from the paper, eyes narrowing. "I think that I am owed some further explanation. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ranma sighed and hung his head. After a moment he turned to Akane and gave her the sign for "please." Akane asked, "You want me to explain? About the original attack as well?" He nodded, the pain in his eyes evident.

Kodachi turned her attention to Akane. "Explain what? What's going on?"

Ranma wandered over to the window and stood looking out, trying to distract himself from the tale Akane would have to tell. Both girls looked at the red-haired girl whose back was presented to them, before turning back to one another.

Akane began speaking. "Ranma said you used some type of paralysis gas on him last night. Something that prevented him from moving. Is that right?"

Kodachi nodded, then smiled. "Yes, although it seems to have malfunctioned. Else I would not be here."

"Um, yeah," Akane replied. "You then tried to kiss him, which he was helpless to stop. The problem is, that was a little too close to something that happened a few weeks ago."

Akane took a deep breath, then continued. "Ranma had an accident a few weeks ago. He - or rather, she, since he was in his cursed form at the time - was left unconscious in an alley, with a concussion. When she woke up, she found she was unable to move. Her clothes had been taken off, she was tied up, and there were these three men preparing to ... to assault her."

Kodachi's eyes had gone very wide.

"Luckily I had an errand in that part of town, and saw what was happening. I stopped them, freed Ranma, and carried her home. It wasn't until the next day that we discovered 'she' was really a boy, and even later before I learned of the coincidence that our fathers knew one another.

"So you see, when you left him helpless and unable to move, when you attempted to ... take liberties with his body, it was too much like that night for him. You made him relive it, and ... that was too much for him. The neko-ken took over to ... to defend him."

Akane paused at the conclusion of the explanation, then added, "He wasn't in his right mind at that moment. In fact, he doesn't even remember it now. It ... he was extremely upset about it last night, when we told him what he did. His ... well, he's seeing a therapist, to help him with, you know, dealing with everything that happened. His therapist thinks he reacted so dangerously because of the way your ... actions ... made him relive the other experience."

Kodachi remained silent while a battle was fought inside of her. Her normal approach to human interaction was to take little notice of the people around her; it was their duty to notice her instead. This side of herself dismissed Ranma's suffering as unimportant and focused on her own injuries. But there was another part of her, a more deeply buried part, that was disturbed by the story she had heard. This part was troubled as it considered the emotions Ranma must have felt, when she had merely intended to reward him with a kiss. The silence stretched as she remained undecided about how to respond.

Ranma gave a deep sigh, then turned around with a sad smile. He walked back over to the bed and handed Kodachi a piece of paper, on which he must have been writing while he stood at the window. She read, "I have dishonored myself by my attack on you, which far exceeded any crime you did to me. Anything I may have suffered myself is no excuse. If you demand my life to restore honor, then you may have it."

That aspect of Kodachi which regarded life as a vast stage on which she was the principal actress was delighted. It was only the natural order of things that she would hold the life of another in her hands. Still looking at the paper in front of her, she cocked her head, considering how to respond, while she imagined the boy kneeling before her, all in white, blade pressed against his belly.

She then looked up into Ranma's sad blue eyes and felt herself shrivel in horror at what she saw there. The paper slipped from nerveless fingers, as the sane corner of her mind realized that he really meant it. That this wasn't make believe. That she need only speak a word, and he would end his own life. She may have inflicted numerous injuries on people over the years, but she had never ... she started shaking her head back and forth, fear over what she could have done tightening her throat.

Finding her voice, Kodachi whispered. "No. I do not want that. I ... well, I will not pretend to be comfortable with all of this. On the whole I think I would prefer not to see you again. But, no, not your life."

Akane was staring at Ranma, appalled, as she divined what he had just offered. Ranma bowed deeply to Kodachi. Pulling out his pad once more, he wrote, "Then I wish you a speedy recovery. I think I should leave now."

Kodachi took it and read, then looked up. "Yes. I think you should leave now as well." She paused, and when she spoke again a trace of the old sardonic amusement was back. "Oh! You had best keep an eye out for my darling brother. He is quite incensed that you have laid hands on a member of his family, and is determined to deal with the 'demon.'"

Ranma bowed once more, and Akane followed suit. Together they turned and left the room.

* * *

When they returned home to find the Furinkan gymnasts waiting impatiently for them, Akane openly wondered if there would still be a match next week. She was reassured that there would indeed, with one of the other members of the St. Hebereke team stepping in to take Kodachi's place. With a disappointed sigh, Akane returned to her training.

The rest of the week and weekend went by quickly. Akane fell off of the wall once more on Thursday morning. Kuno informed Ranma that the demon could expect his vengeance as soon as his own healing was completed. Akane and Ranma continued to train in gymnastics techniques.

Friday evening, Nabiki grumpily handed Ranma his winnings for correctly predicting the number of falls Akane would take her first week walking along the walls. Akane, Ranma and Kasumi attended another sign language class on Saturday, and even more intensive gymnastics training took place that weekend. Akane started demonstrating some proficiency in the use of the implements, although the ribbon continued to give her serious trouble.

On the day of the match at St. Hebereke, Akane and Ranma were embarrassed to discover that they were expected to use the same dressing room. Luckily there was a screen in the room, and Akane changed behind it while Ranma changed in the middle of the room.

After changing, they looked at the bouquet of black roses lying on the table next to an aquarium. The color practically screamed Kodachi. Akane pulled one of the roses out carefully and dipped it into the water. Almost immediately, the fish slowed down and appeared to sleep.

Akane looked at Ranma. "I guess it was too much to hope that Kodachi would suddenly turn into a nice person, huh?"

When Akane entered the ring, she found that her opponent looked at least as nervous as she felt. The reason for this soon became apparent. Although the other girl was able to score several hits on Akane with her ribbon, Akane appeared to have the edge with the hoop and clubs.

The match ended when Akane threw a hoop which caused her opponent to duck. At that moment, Akane was able to grab the other girl's ribbon, and used it to throw her out of the ring. She landed lightly enough on her feet, but definitely on the floor outside of the ring. The referee declared Akane the winner.

"Good job, sis!" Nabiki congratulated Akane afterward. "I made a lot of money off that match."

"How'd you know that I'd win?" Akane asked, perplexed.

Nabiki gave her a crafty smile. "Well, I couldn't _know_, of course, and it was your first match of this sort. But I found out that it was the other girl's first match, too. Kodachi usually ambushed the other teams, forcing them to default, and always took the few other matches herself. As captain of the team, she discouraged the other girls from practicing, in order to avoid the chance of anyone stealing her spotlight.

"And you couldn't have mentioned this before the match?" Akane inquired sarcastically.

Nabiki placed a hand upon her chest and affected an air of innocence. "What, and let you become overconfident? I would never have done you such a disservice, little sister."

Akane harrumphed, but didn't bother to bandy further words with her mercenary sister. She returned to the changing room, where Ranma had already resumed the clothing in which he had arrived and was standing outside the door waiting for her. He was still female since he had decided to both arrive and leave as female, rather than take the chance of any of the non-Furinkan spectators noticing the change of gender.

On the way to their afternoon appointment with Mitaka-sensei, Ranma had Akane run along a fence which had a flat top about three centimeters wide. She managed this without any slips, and smiled back at him confidently after.

* * *

That evening, while changing for bed, Ranma happened to open the drawer containing the bundle of Akane's hair, the portion cut off when Ryoga first appeared. The hair which he had saved, for no reason he could understand. He ran his fingers over it, reflecting on how she really did look better with short hair. In fact, she had been quite stunning at the match in the leotard she had worn. Letting his mind wander back to the last time he had held that hair, Ranma remembered how he had wanted, somehow, to reassure Akane that she was feminine.

He tried to think of some way to do that, without doing something which would give the wrong impression, or make both of them very uncomfortable. Maybe he could take her to get some ice cream, to celebrate today's victory? Except the ice cream shop was more a setting for ordinary, casual clothes. He wasn't sure if that would do the trick.

On the other hand, he had won some money from that bet with Nabiki. Ranma snorted as he remembered her grimace at parting with it, even though he knew she had made a great deal more money than she had lost from other people betting on the same matter. If he took Akane someplace nicer, to a restaurant for dinner, that would give her a chance to dress up, wouldn't it? Then maybe he could compliment her on how she looked. As long as he didn't try to write anything too fancy for the compliment, he should be all right, and for this particular situation he was glad he wouldn't be able to use his mouth and no doubt trip all over his tongue.

He wrote down this suggestion for such a dinner, and handed the slip of paper to Akane when he entered her bedroom. "I'd like to celebrate you winning today. Would you like to go out to a nice restaurant for dinner tomorrow? Someplace a bit fancy? I can pay. I've got that money I won from Nabiki."

Akane looked up from reading this, and regarded the girl in front of her with an odd expression on her face. "Ranma? Are you asking me out on a date?"

Ranma's cheeks turned scarlet, and he yanked out his pad and started scribbling quickly. "No! No, of course not. This is just a celebration, that's all."

"Oh." Akane read his words again. She wondered what the odd feeling inside her chest was. It surely _couldn't_ be disappointment. She looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Ranma. That sounds like it'll be fun."

Ranma looked down, studying his feet, while his cheeks continued to glow. How could she possibly think he'd try to ask her out on a date? After all, she was ... she was ... and he was just some cursed, gender-changing freak, who couldn't even talk to her. Quietly he climbed into the bed, wondering what life might have been like in another life, if he hadn't been attacked and had been able to speak to Akane. Ruefully he admitted to himself that with his speech habits, he might be no better off.

* * *

**Author's note:**

So, Kodachi will not be pursuing Ranma. But this isn't her last appearance in the story.

In the next chapter, Akane and Ranma go out to eat, Ryoga reappears, and they meet a couple of ice skaters. Oh, and Kuno's arm is finally out of the cast.

Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	7. Trouble at the Rink

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 7. Trouble at the Rink**

The morning after the gymnastics match, Akane mentioned to Kasumi that she and Ranma would not be home for dinner that night, that they would be eating out. She tried to sound casual about it, yet even so was careful to raise the subject only after checking that they were out of the hearing of both her father and Nabiki. She could just imagine the likely reactions of those two and had no desire to put up with either any earlier than necessary. Of course, they were going to find out eventually, at dinnertime if not sooner. Nonetheless, Akane wanted to delay that moment for as long as possible.

As dinnertime drew near, the three Tendo girls were gathered together in Akane's bedroom. Akane herself, dressed only in her undergarments, was going frantically through her closet. Kasumi sat primly on the edge of the bed while Nabiki lounged on the same bed behind her, pretending to look through a fashion catalog. Amazingly, Nabiki had not learned of Akane's dinner plans until the increasing amount of noise had penetrated the wall between their bedrooms, at which time she had wandered in to investigate the commotion.

"Why don't I have anything to wear?" Akane complained with a moan, as she searched through dresses hanging in the closet.

Without looking up from her magazine, Nabiki asked, "Are you sure this isn't a date? I mean, given how much trouble you're going to about getting dressed ..."

Akane stuck her head out of the closet door. "I _told_ you, it isn't a date. We're just celebrating me winning the match. But it's a nice restaurant, and I want to look nice." Her head vanished again and more rustling sounds came from inside the closet.

Nabiki winked at Kasumi as she said, "Perhaps you should wear what you've got on right now. I'm sure Ranma would appreciate it."

The disembodied voice from inside the closet shrieked in outrage. "Nabiki!"

Kasumi pursed her lips and shook her head at Nabiki.

Akane stepped out of the closet holding a blue dress in front of her. It was a little longer than knee length, made of a soft fabric which would cling slightly but not overmuch. Kasumi considered the choice, then smiled and nodded her head.

Akane breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the closet and started to pull the dress over her head. Kasumi cleared her throat. "You might want to put the pantyhose on first?"

From somewhere inside the dress came a strangled "Arggh!" Akane yanked the garment off, throwing it onto the bed. She dug some pantyhose out of her dresser and sat down beside Kasumi to smooth them over her legs. Then she picked up the dress again and once more pulled it over her head. Kasumi stood up to help settle the folds of the dress and zip it up the back. Nabiki turned another page of her magazine.

Akane selected a pair of shoes that would go with the dress, and set them aside to put on when they left. She looked around for several minutes before finding the purse she wanted, smaller than her usual one. She quickly transferred several items to this purse. Akane next grabbed a hairbrush and pulled it sharply through her hair, causing her to vent a yelp of dismay as it caught. Ignoring Nabiki's grin, Akane took a deep breath and slowed down, brushing her hair properly.

When she was done with her hair, the frazzled young woman went over to the shelf where she kept her small supply of cosmetics. She selected a shade of blue eye shadow which, while a little more bold than what she usually wore, was nevertheless fairly subtle in color. Akane checked it anxiously against the color of the dress, started to put it back as too dark, then changed her mind and took it down again. She sat at the desk, and tilted the small mirror resting there until she could see herself easily. Reminding herself to take it slowly and do it right, Akane took another deep breath, and carefully applied the eye shadow with a practiced touch. When she was done, she sat back and examined the effect.

Akane stood up and twirled around. "How do I look?" she asked nervously, half afraid of hearing the answer.

"It looks very nice, Akane," Kasumi said encouragingly.

Nabiki added, "Gotta admit, sis, the effect is pretty good. I think it would help if you added some lipstick, though."

Akane looked dubiously over at her shelf. "Won't my lip gloss do?"

Nabiki shook her head emphatically. "Nope. It's gotta be lipstick. Don't you have any?"

Akane shook her head. "No. Could I ... borrow some of yours?"

Nabiki considered, then shook her head. "No, and not because I'm being mean or want to sell it to you. The shades I use aren't right for the effect you're trying to achieve. I'm not sure ..."

Kasumi interrupted. "You can borrow mine, Akane. I think I have something which should suit." She left the room, returning a minute later with a couple of choices.

Akane selected the one which seemed more appropriate, then applied it carefully. She examined the result in her mirror critically, before smiling. "Thanks, Kasumi! This looks great."

"Hey! What about me? It was my idea," Nabiki reminded her.

With an impish grin, Akane faced her second sister and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much for your help, honored elder sister. You are much too gracious." Nabiki pursed her lips and looked back at her magazine pointedly.

Catching her oldest sister's eye once more, Akane asked for reassurance, "Do you really think I look okay?"

Kasumi smiled broadly. "You look beautiful, little sister."

A glint could be seen in Nabiki's eye as she turned toward Akane once more and agreed. "Yep, pretty good, sis. Every guy there is gonna envy Ranma for being the one who asked you out."

Akane growled, and once more declared, "It's _not_ a date, Nabiki!"

Nabiki waved a hand airily. "Did I say it was?" she inquired innocently. "All I said was that he asked you out. I mean, he did ask you if you wanted to have dinner to celebrate, didn't he?"

Akane gave her sister a scowl which stated without words that she knew Nabiki was trying to get her back, and that she didn't appreciate it. "Ranma is not dating me. I am not dating Ranma. We are simply having dinner together. There is nothing mysterious or romantic about it."

"Whatever you say, sis," Nabiki replied in a conciliatory fashion. "By the way, did you remember to put some protection in your purse? Just in case?"

The neighbors down the street looked up briefly, but then returned to what they were doing. They were accustomed to the occasional shriek of fury from the direction of the Tendo house.

* * *

Ranma, meanwhile, was making his own preparations. After getting home from school, he'd asked Kasumi to go shopping with him. With her help he had used a portion of his winnings to purchase new clothes which were a little more dressy than his usual outfits. He was wearing them now, walking around experimentally in an attempt to accustom himself to how they felt. Ranma didn't want the lack of familiarity to distract him if he needed to fight to defend himself or Akane.

He heard Akane's scream of anger, causing him to wonder if he was making a mistake. Then he heard her bedroom door open. Someone rapped on his door and Kasumi called out, "It's time, Ranma." He stepped out to find Akane just exiting her room.

When the two teenagers met in the second floor hallway, they were both extremely nervous. Their eyes darted around looking anywhere but at each other, and Ranma had to resist the urge to wipe away the film of sweat on his forehead. With an effort he forced his eyes to look at Akane, but was then stunned by the sight she presented. After a moment he realized that he was staring and forced himself to look away again.

At the moment Ranma was thankful for his inability to speak, as he was sure he would have stammered incomprehensibly. Instead he bowed slightly toward Akane, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor near her feet, and motioned in the direction of the stairs. Akane preceded him down the stairs, and Ranma followed, while trying to ignore the look in Kasumi's eyes and the smirk on Nabiki's lips.

The dinner was more quiet than either had anticipated. Ranma wrote occasional notes and passed them to Akane, to which she responded verbally, but he couldn't write very much since he needed his hands to manage the chopsticks. On the whole, however, Ranma was pleased with how their outing was going. He hadn't done anything stupid so far, and his goal to give Akane a chance to show her feminine side had been achieved. She also seemed to be enjoying herself, although he couldn't be entirely certain. He really wasn't very good at reading people's emotional states, his own included.

Akane was in fact enjoying herself, very much. The food was good, the service was excellent, and the young man across from her was behaving like a gentleman. He had even slowed down his consumption of the meal to a speed which might charitably be called normal. It also felt surprisingly good to dress up a bit, she didn't really get very many chances. She got rather tired of people calling her a tomboy, and hated the memory from elementary school where she had been forced to take the part of Romeo when her class put on the famous play by Shakespeare.

Ranma was looking very nice tonight also, Akane thought to herself. He had obviously gone to some trouble over his appearance. She might have preferred a little more conversation, but understood the difficulty. The only blight on the evening so far was the way Nabiki had been teasing her earlier. Akane had been quite right not to let her sister know earlier, or she would have had to put up with that all day. Why couldn't Nabiki understand that it wasn't a date?

A husband and wife walking past their table gave them a smile. Akane blushed softly. They were the fifth such pair tonight to react in such a manner, and Akane just _knew_ it was because they were thinking something along the lines of "what a sweet couple." She certainly couldn't make a scene by explaining the truth, so had to resign herself to allowing them to continue in their belief. The problem was that it was doing something funny in the region of her stomach. It was almost as if she wasn't entirely averse to letting them believe she and Ranma were a couple.

As they neared the end of the main course, the pace of conversation picked up a little, since Ranma naturally finished first and his hands were therefore free. At that point their luck ran out, for none other than Tatewaki Kuno walked by outside and spied them through the window. He strode into the restaurant, his face as dark as a thundercloud.

"So, vile demon," he declaimed, "thou dost now seek to court the fair Akane Tendo! I challenge you to meet me in battle on Tuesday of next week, at which time this cast shall no longer embrace my arm!" With this he lifted a glass of water from the table and threw it into Ranma's face.

The now female Ranma jumped up and struck Kuno in the stomach, folding him over. He saw three waiters converging on the scene, who quickly surrounded the unwelcome guest. As they began urging him to leave, Akane also stood up. She bowed almost indiscernibly in Kuno's direction and addressed him.

"Kuno-_senpai_." Her words dripped with scorn. "Ranma will meet your challenge on Tuesday as you request. At which time you will _pay_ for disturbing our meal like this."

Kuno gave her a patronizing smile, threw one last haughty glare in Ranma's direction, then finally allowed himself to be persuaded out of the door. Akane and Ranma returned to their seats, both giving sighs of exasperation. Ranma plucked at his damp collar. He hastily wrote, "Excuse me. I've got to change back."

Before he could get up, their waitress came over. "Are you ready to order dessert? Oh!" She had just taken a closer look at Ranma. "I'm sorry, I thought ... um ..."

Akane managed a false smile, and told the woman, "This is a friend who stopped to chat with me for a moment. My ... escort is in the restroom, and will return in just a minute. We'll order dessert when he gets back."

The waitress nodded with a bewildered expression, gave one more look at Ranma's suit, then wandered off. Ranma grimaced, stood, and headed off to the restroom. He returned a couple of minutes later, male once more, with some of the excess water now gone. Unfortunately they were unable to wholly recapture the earlier atmosphere despite the desserts, in which Ranma in particular took delight. They soon finished, paid the bill, and left.

During the walk home, Ranma's thoughts were mostly on Kuno. He really wanted to make the other boy pay for ruining their dinner, but wasn't sure just how to do so. Simply putting the older boy back into a cast wasn't the right response. ‹After all,› Ranma thought to himself, ‹I'm no thug. Don't want to start acting like one neither.›

But something beyond simply winning the challenge seemed called for. He just didn't know what that something was.

Akane knew that Ranma was brooding, and guessed at a little of what was going through his head. In truth, she was feeling much the same way. It had been a very pleasant evening up until the interruption. Still, she didn't want Ranma to bring home only dark memories of their outing.

"Ranma?" Akane spoke softly. "I just wanted to say ... thank you. It was a very nice night. At least, it was before Kuno-baka showed up. For that matter, it's still a nice night, now that he's gone. I'm ... glad that you suggested this. The dinner, I mean. To celebrate."

Ranma turned and gave her a sunny smile in response. Akane felt her knees go a little weak at that smile. ‹What's wrong with me?› she thought. ‹I do _not_ act like this. It's only silly, empty headed girls who can't walk straight when a handsome boy smiles at them. Uh ...› Her mental monologue paused for a moment as Akane hit a mental rewind button and replayed that last thought. ‹Did I just ... call Ranma ... handsome? Well ... I guess ... he is. From a purely objective viewpoint, of course.›

Steering herself away from the uncomfortable topic onto which she had wandered inside her head, Akane said the first thing that came into her mind, a suggestion which had occurred to her during dinner. "Say, Ranma. I was thinking, maybe, since you paid for dinner, that, you know, I could repay you by treating you to ice skating tomorrow? After school, that is. What do you say?"

Ranma stared at her blankly. He pulled out his pad and wrote, "I don't know how to skate. Pop never taught me."

Akane gave him a devilish grin. "Well then, I can teach you. I mean, fair's fair. You've been teaching me in the dojo. Now I can return the favor by teaching you on the ice rink. Come on, or do you think you can't learn how?"

Ranma's eyes sparkled at the challenge, and he gave her a toothy smile which said he knew she was purposefully pushing his buttons. All the same, he wrote, "I can learn anything. I'll skate circles around you in no time."

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Ooh, we'll just see about that! You're on, big man. Best skater after five trips to the rink gets treated to ice cream by the other."

They laughed, although Ranma's was silent, and then they turned to walk through the gate of the house. Akane was immediately pounced on by her sisters, and dragged upstairs for a debriefing. As Nabiki returned to her bedroom later, she could be heard to mutter, "Hopeless. Utterly hopeless."

* * *

The next day while preparing to leave for the ice rink, Akane was surprised when Ranma met her in the front hall in his cursed form. He started to put on his shoes, so it was obvious he intended to remain that way. Akane cleared her throat and he looked up.

"Why are you female right now, Ranma?"

He quickly wrote, "A man who can't skate looks ridiculous."

Akane thought this through, trying to see it from his point of view. She shook her head. "For your information, it will look just as ridiculous for a woman."

Ranma just shrugged and continued to put on his shoes. Akane gave a sigh and slipped on her own shoes. They left the house and were soon jogging along a wall in the direction of the skating rink.

When they got to the rink, Akane took Ranma to get some rental skates, and showed him how to put them on. He wobbled quite a bit when he stood up, but made his way to the gate in the wall readily enough. Unfortunately, they immediately ran into problems. The moment Ranma's foot touched the ice, his legs shot out from under him and he landed flat on his back.

"Um, I guess we'd better start by practicing standing," Akane suggested. She helped Ranma to his feet, where he stood uneasily with a tight grip on the wall.

They began by moving slowly along the wall, with Akane trying to convince Ranma to slide the skates along the ice rather than stepping. She was beginning to think that five lessons might not be enough to even get him away from the wall and fully out onto the ice. Doggedly she kept trying to show him the correct way to move his legs and feet.

They took a break after an hour of tiresome effort, sitting at a table off to the side of the rink drinking sodas. Ranma had temporarily changed back to a boy. They weren't trying to converse at the moment. Instead they were just watching the other skaters out on the ice. Ranma heard a throat clear behind him and turned around.

"Excuse me sir. Could you tell me how to get to ... _Ranma_?!"

Akane spun around at this, and her face darkened instantly. "Ryoga! What are you doing here?"

The lost boy became suddenly nervous under Akane's glare. "I ... I'm lost. I wanted to get directions to Itabashi." He turned back toward Ranma with a glare. "But as long as _you're_ here, get up and fight me! I still want vengeance for you making my life a living hell!"

Ranma shrugged and started to stand, but Akane reached over and pushed down on his shoulder. He returned to his seat.

"No," Akane declared. "Ranma and I are here to enjoy ourselves, and you're not going to ruin it. If you want to challenge him, fine. Do it properly, and agree to meet at the school after classes tomorrow. Or better yet, next Wednesday, so that you'll have a chance of finding it in time if you start looking right away."

Ryoga flushed brightly, but could not bring himself to contradict the pretty girl. ‹Damn that Ranma! Not only does he make _my_ life hell, but he somehow wound up with a beautiful girl. They're even _sleeping_ together already. It's just not fair!›

He snarled softly while these thoughts wound through his head, then growled his response. "Fine! Ranma, I challenge you to a fight, to take place at your school at the end of the day, some day next week. As soon as I can find the damn place. We'll show everyone who's the better fighter!"

Ranma stood and nodded seriously, whereupon Ryoga turned around and stomped off.

"Honestly!" Akane huffed after the boy left. "He needs to get a grip! Maybe we should introduce him to Mitaka-sensei."

Ranma's mouth opened in a silent laugh. After a few moments he wrote, "Doubt we could talk him into going. Not such a bad idea though. I know where his house is. Maybe Kasumi or your dad could catch one of his parents at home one day and suggest it."

"You're not serious? You _are_ serious. I was just joking," Akane informed him dubiously.

Ranma wrote, "I've begun to think talking to someone about problems can be useful. Might help him. Can't hurt. Discuss it with Kasumi."

Meanwhile, Ryoga circled the ice rink, unable to find the exit. His attention was on searching for the door rather than his own feet, leading him to stumble over a bag someone had left on the floor by a chair. Trying to catch himself, Ryoga's hand came down on an unoccupied table, flipping it over and sending a cup which had been left on the table flying through the air. The melted ice splashed him, his curse was triggered, and the little black pig struggled out of the clothing which now entangled it.

‹Damn you, Ranma! Why couldn't you at least show me to the door?› The pig looked around, trying to spot either his rival or a source of hot water. Picking the direction which seemed to be right, he started off at a trot. He realized his mistake when his hooves slid out from under him, and he skidded across the floor on his stomach, slowly rotating. ‹Ice?! But I thought I was inside some building?›

Ryoga took a slow look around himself, seeking some way off of the ice. Without warning, a voice came from behind him in a pitch so high his ears started bleeding. "Charlotte!"

Ryoga managed to look over his shoulder to see a girl bearing down on him, skating quickly, her long wavy hair flowing out behind her. An icicle of fear unaccountably stabbed his belly, and he started scrabbling his legs, trying to get traction on the ice. The skates suddenly circled around and appeared in front of his nose, and that frightening voice came again. "Does widdle Charlotte want to go home wif mommy?"

He tried to back away, to no avail. The girl knelt down, grabbed him by his neckerchief, and brought a fist down on his head. Ryoga lost consciousness, unaware as the girl lifted and snuggled him, shrieking about how cute her little Charlotte was.

Ranma and Akane stood up from their table, prepared to head out onto the ice for another round before calling it a night. At that same moment, they saw a girl approaching, carrying a black piglet with a spotted neckerchief.

After blinking in confusion for a couple of seconds, Akane called out tentatively, "Ryoga?"

The pig roused groggily at the sound of her voice. When he looked up and saw who was carrying him, he started squealing. "Bwee! Skwee!"

The girl holding him tightened her grip. "What are you talking about? This is my widdle Charlotte!"

Akane and Ranma both peered closer. "Um, no," Akane said slowly. "Not really. He's, uh, ..."

A hand suddenly reached over the other girl's shoulder, and lifted the pig by its neckerchief. The handsome youth on the other end of the arm held it out toward Akane. In melodious tones, he offered, "Yours, I believe?"

"Ooh! Give her back!" demanded the girl from whom he had taken the pig. She began pounding on the boy's back.

As the boy dropped the piglet above Akane's hands, she jerked her arms back. "I'm afraid you're mistaken," she told the youth. "He's not mine."

When Ryoga hit the floor, he took off running, as fast as his little legs would carry him. The girl who had been holding him screamed. "My Charlotte! You let her get away!"

In an exasperated tone, Akane told her, "He wasn't your Charlotte. You couldn't have kept him anyway."

The girl stamped her foot. "She was my Charlotte, and you let her get away!" She pointed a finger, the tip centimeters from Akane's nose. "I challenge you!"

Akane looked taken aback. "You want to _fight_ me? Over a pig?"

The girl looked disgusted. She held up her skates. "'Fight?' How nasty! I challenge you to a skating match!"

Akane looked even more puzzled. Ranma looked on, amused. Akane repeated, "Skating?"

"Yes!" came the answer. "If I win, you find my widdle Charlotte and give her back!"

A bystander snapped her fingers and said, "Now I remember them. They're the champion freestyle skating pair from Kolkhoz High, Azusa Shiratori and Mikado Sanzenin."

"Ah, it's such a burden to be famous," Mikado said in an aside to the girl confronting Azusa, while being sure to present his best profile for her appreciation. When he was sure that she had gotten a good look, he faced Akane directly, saying, "I'm sorry that my partner has caused you trouble. By way of an apology ..."

Suddenly his fingers were resting on Akane's cheek and he was leaning over her, his lips fast approaching hers. Ranma's eyes widened in fury, and he reached out and grabbed the back of Mikado's coat, halting his progress bare seconds from contact. Akane's eyes narrowed, and her hand came around in a blur, cupped palm slapping against Mikado's cheek with a sound like a gunshot. The boy staggered several steps before regaining his balance.

Mikado turned around slowly, to glare at the pigtailed boy who had intervened. The slap from Akane he discounted; such reactions were a risk which he accepted. But he could not accept someone else preventing him from bestowing his favor.

Mikado spoke to Ranma in an icy voice. "To lay hands upon me is to challenge me. Very well, the match will be one week from today. The site will be at our school, Kolkhoz High. The event will be pair skating, you and this fair maiden against myself and Azusa. Is that acceptable?"

Ranma snorted his breath out and nodded. Akane spoke for both of them, "We'll be there!"

This incident robbed their afternoon at the skating rink of any further pleasure, so Akane and Ranma decided to head home. Akane kept glancing sideways at Ranma, wondering about his quick reaction when he stopped Mikado. Was it just a byproduct of what he had suffered, causing him to react like that to any male who made unwelcome advances on a female? Or was there something else to it? She finally decided that she would never know, as she certainly wasn't going to ask _Ranma_ which it was.

Instead she pointed out, "We're going to have to go over to the rink and practice hard every day, and even then it's a question whether you'll be able to skate well enough for the match next week. We should have demanded an extension."

Ranma answered her with a twisted smile and a nod to show that he realized this. He gave a little sigh, knowing that Akane would think the sigh was a reaction to the thought of all the work required to learn to skate in such a short time. It wasn't though. Something else was bothering him. That the jerk Mikado would try to kiss Akane without her permission was more than enough reason to have grabbed him like that. Hell, he'd been ready to do a lot more than just grab him, if Akane hadn't gotten her hit in first. The problem was that, as a justification, this felt incomplete, like there was more to it than that. Like it wasn't the only reason he'd been so quick to stop Mikado.

Ranma shook his head irritably. The guy was an asshole, pushing himself on Akane like that. He didn't need any more reason than that for stopping him. Ranma shoved the thoughts aside with an effort and tried to distract himself by wondering what Kasumi was preparing for dinner. For once, not even the thought of food could entirely do the trick.

That night, lying down on the futon in the guest room, Ranma's thoughts turned once more to the events of the afternoon. He hoped that Akane would be able to teach him to skate well enough by next Thursday. He wanted to beat Sanzenin so badly he could taste it. As sleep claimed him, he wished that he was in the other room, so that he could feel Akane's arms around him. Or maybe his around her. Just in case he had another nightmare, of course.

* * *

The next afternoon, Akane and Ranma were at the skating rink again, getting in as much practice as they could before their appointment with Mitaka-sensei. By now, Ranma was moving around on the ice, slowly, tentatively, still wobbling a lot, but gaining confidence. As on the previous day, he had changed into a girl before donning his skates and stepping out into the rink.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Ranma? You need to angle your back foot slightly so you can push with it." Despite her words, Akane was not yet exasperated. She was determined to put that Azusa Shiratori in her place, not to mention that pervert Sanzenin. Even if that meant finding hidden resources of patience - or developing them in the first place. All the same, Akane did wonder to herself whether she could really turn Ranma into an expert skater within a week.

They'd been on the ice for an hour, and Ranma was starting to show a little more mobility. Akane was about to call a halt for the day when something struck her in the back. She went sprawling on her hands and knees, then looked over her shoulder to see Azusa skating by. The other girl called back, "Oh! I'm sooooo sorry!" Insincerity dripped off every glass-bending word.

Irritated, Akane climbed to her feet. "You did that on purpose!"

Azusa was staring past Akane, a prim, amused smile on her face. "Now, now, this is no time for quarreling! Your little friend needs help."

Akane spun around. "Wha...?" Her eyes went wide at the sight of Ranma sliding backward along the ice, out of control, arms waving wildly for balance. His face was contorted, visibly frightened due to his inability to stop himself.

Suddenly a pair of arms encircled Ranma's waist, lifting him off of the ice. He looked over his shoulder into the face of Mikado Sanzenin. The boy was smiling charmingly as he asked, "Are you all right, miss?"

Ranma nodded slowly. He wanted to be on his own feet again, but at least was happy not to be sliding uncontrolled across the ice.

Mikado's smile widened. "You seem bereft of speech. Believe me, it was my pleasure to assist you. It isn't every day that a girl as cute as you comes straight into my arms like that." A single fingertip came up under Ranma's chin, tilting his face up to look even more directly into Mikado's eyes.

Ranma was mildly confused. He failed to grasp the implications of Mikado's actions and words since he regarded himself as a boy, and was not thinking in terms of a male holding a cute girl. Luckily Ranma was saved from any embarrassing consequences when Azusa skated by and drove a knee into Mikado's stomach.

Mikado spun around from the force of the blow and dropped Ranma. Azusa looked back over her shoulder and called out, "Please do your girl chasing later."

‹Girl chasing?› Ranma thought. ‹Oh, gag! That bastard was coming on to me! I think I'm gonna be sick!›

Mikado straightened up. "There was no need to interrupt like that! And for your information, I wasn't chasing anyone. _She_ came to _me_!"

Azusa stuck her tongue out at him. "You can talk to your widdle girlfriend later. Right now we have to practice the 'Assault of a hundred foes.'"

Akane and Ranma both wondered just what the hell that meant, but the question was answered immediately. A multitude of skaters in hockey uniforms converged on them from all directions, brandishing their sticks menacingly. Mikado lifted Ranma once more and handed him to Akane.

"You two stay out of the way," he told them, voice dripping with honey. "I could never forgive myself if either of you lovely ladies were hurt while we trained." He gave them a gentle push in the direction of the gate.

Mikado skated back to join Azusa, and the pair linked hands. One of their opponents gave a signal, and the mob rushed in, holding sticks over their shoulders ready to slash downward. The golden pair remained frozen until the first attacker came within striking distance, but then blurred into motion. The spectators couldn't clearly see what was happening at the center due to the other combatants who were still moving in, but people in hockey uniforms were flying out of the throng to slide across the ice and smash into walls.

Within mere seconds it was over. Mikado and Azusa were posed triumphantly in the middle of the ice, and all one hundred opponents were lying around them. The ones who were still conscious were trying to assess whether they were sufficiently fit to climb back to their feet. Mikado pulled out a comb to straighten the few hairs which were out of place.

Off to the side, Ranma was nodding his head up and down, over and over again, looking happy. Akane gave him a curious look. He pulled out his pad and wrote, "It's martial skating. If it's a martial art, I can win."

Akane looked unconvinced. "Huh! Yeah, assuming you can learn how to skate first!"

Other skaters were starting to return to the rink. Akane and Ranma both turned at the sound of a commotion. They saw a small black pig trying desperately to move across the ice, its hooves moving in a blur below it, as several girls converged squealing about how cute it was.

In an aside to Ranma, Akane asked, "Do you think he's been lost in here since yesterday?" Ranma could only shrug. On the one hand, Akane felt that the little pervert deserved whatever he got. On the other hand, it was a martial artist's duty to protect the helpless. She gave a sigh, then took off skating in Ryoga's direction.

However, just before she reached the pig, Azusa swept in and scooped him up, screaming, "Charlotte!" Before either Ryoga or Akane had a chance to react, the girl announced, "Here's a widdle present from Azusa." With that she pulled off Ryoga's neckerchief and locked a collar around the pig's neck.

Akane shook her head but snatched Ryoga out of Azusa's hands. Holding him up she examined the collar, which had a little tag in the shape of a heart with the name "Charlotte" on it. Akane's suppressed laugh came out as a choke, and she was unable to keep a straight face.

"Hang on a second and let me see if I can get this off, Ryoga," Akane told him in a voice which was strained with the effort not to laugh. The task proved more difficult than it first appeared, and Akane saw that there was a small lock on the collar.

Azusa watched from nearby, smirking. "It's useless," she declared gleefully. "I locked it." She held up a key. "If you want it off, you'll have to win the match."

Akane was about to say something cutting, but then paused and stared past Azusa. Ranma was some distance beyond the girl, feet slipping back and forth almost uncontrollably, arms waving wildly. He was in a panic trying to maintain his balance, and it was a wonder that he hadn't fallen yet. Akane forgot about Azusa, as well as the pig still in her arm, and skated rapidly to another attempted rescue.

Once again before she could reach and rescue her target, a member of the Golden Pair swooped in. Mikado Sanzenin skated off, now holding the red-haired girl in his arms, and told her, "If you wish, I can teach you to skate." Ranma of course was unable to provide any answer to this, but eyed the tall boy warily, hoping he wasn't planning to try anything. Mikado gave the girl a puzzled look at her continued silence, then sighed. "Well, if that is not your desire, so be it. But at least you can thank me for my earlier rescue."

Ranma suddenly found himself in a dip, his torso nearly horizontal to the ice. He was looking up at Mikado, whose face was rapidly descending toward his own. With a shock, Ranma's hypersensitive nerves realized the boy's intention, and panic filled him as he twisted wildly to escape and punish the transgressor.

Mikado found himself with an armful of at least forty-five kilograms of madly twisting female. A hard fist punched him in the jaw before his lips could reach their goal. He tried to hold on, but the attempt was in vain. More fists struck, and kicks began to connect as well. Breath exploded from his lungs, pain blossomed in his chest, his arms and legs collected dozens of massive bruises in seconds.

The greatest pain came last, as a knee rose between the skater's legs hard enough to lift him half a meter off the ground. The final blow to the head was one of mercy, rather than a cause of further pain, for it relieved Mikado of consciousness. The boy felt a sense of relief at the blackness which claimed him.

Akane and Ryoga watched as Mikado slid down to the ice, a dark circle forming around his left eye. Ranma was somehow still on his feet above the boy, hyperventilating, his red hair seeming to crackle with static electricity. Azusa came skating up to poke at her partner, then pulled out a marker and drew a matching dark circle around the other eye.

Ryoga's tongue came out and licked around the edges of his mouth nervously. Of course, he was quite sure that if Ranma had been fighting _him_, that he would have given a much better account of himself. At least, he was pretty sure. Yes, quite confident really. Or ... fairly confident? If only his mind's eye didn't keep replaying that final strike with the knee, and imposing his own features on the receiving end.

Akane skated closer, and gently rested a hand on the pseudo-girl's shoulder. "Are you all right, Ranma?" she asked quietly.

Ranma sucked in a deep breath and held it, visibly getting a grip on himself. Releasing the breath, he turned and gave Akane a weak smile and a nod.

Akane looked down at the prone body. "You, uh, didn't break any bones, did you? Or anything else we should call an ambulance for?"

Ranma's smile faded as he shook his head negatively. Now that he was back under control, he was feeling sort of bad about how hard he had beaten Mikado. Not that the pervert hadn't deserved a thrashing for what he had tried, but it hadn't been necessary to go quite so far. At least he hadn't gone nuts and done anything terrible like he did to that Kodachi girl. In fact, Mikado would probably be back in working order, mostly, by Monday. Certainly before the match next Thursday.

Akane gave Ranma a smile at what she saw as restraint on his part. "Okay then. We'd better be going if we're to get to Mitaka-sensei in time. I suppose we can also stop off at the lost and found and see if someone turned in Ryoga's pack and clothes." She looked down at the pig in her arm with a frown. He responded with a guilty look before lowering his head to look down at the floor.

They followed this plan, finding that someone had in fact turned in Ryoga's stuff. Ranma carried the pig into the men's room, where they both changed back to male and Ryoga got dressed. Ranma handed him a piece of paper which read, "We can fight when you show up for the challenge next week. Right now I'll help you get out of the building if you want." Ryoga scowled, but said nothing and gave a sharp nod of his head.

A few minutes later they were outside the building. Ranma watched Ryoga head down the street, hoping the boy would find wherever it was he thought he was going. With a shrug he dismissed the lost boy from his mind, and he and Akane turned toward their therapist's office. It was a long walk, giving his nerves a chance to lessen their jangling by the time he and Akane reached their destination.

That afternoon, Mitaka spent most of her time with Ranma dealing with his feelings and reactions to Sanzenin's overly aggressive approach to romance. Or not romance so much, since they concluded that the boy did not feel any real affection for his targets, but was mostly trying to show off his "prowess" for the spectators. Ranma was amused as she explained that the boy probably acted like that due to his own doubts about his masculinity and ability to attract honest female affection.

Or at least he was amused until Mitaka gently led Ranma to notice the correlation to some of his own behavior. As Ranma thought about himself going around telling people that he was the best martial artist alive, ready to take on challengers at the drop of a pin to prove it, the boy winced. Did some people see him as being as much of a posturing jerk as that Sanzenin? It was an unpalatable thought, and he promised himself to do some meditating on the subject.

As he walked out of her office, Mitaka was feeling quietly pleased. The last time someone had tried to steal a kiss from Ranma, less than two weeks ago, the girl had ended up in the hospital with a serious injury. That Ranma had only administered a beating to the boy today represented considerable progress. Of course, the real reason Ranma's reaction to Kodachi Kuno was so severe was due to her binding him with the drug, which in turn induced a sufficiently strong emotional state to trigger the neko-ken. It was possible that if Mikado Sanzenin had been foolish enough to try to trap or bind Ranma in some way, the outcome might have been much worse. Still, she was inclined to feel optimistic about the way things were going.

When it was Akane's turn, Mitaka spent some time asking questions about their dinner at the restaurant, but soon left that topic. She didn't want to press Akane into any deeper considerations of her motivations at this time. Neither Akane nor Ranma was ready for a true romantic relationship yet, so she was content to let them continue as they were. Instead she drew Akane into discussing her reactions toward Ryoga, Asuza and Mikado over the events which had occurred at the skating rink.

After the sign language class the next day, Ranma, Akane and Kasumi were able to start making some limited use of it for simple questions and statements. In truth, they had already been making _extremely_ limited use of it, such as Ranma's ability to answer "yes" or "no" to questions, or indicate numbers. Now, however, he could say basic things like, "More rice please," or "Would you like some help?"

On the other hand, his vocabulary was still frustratingly limited. It would be a long time before he'd be able to forego his pad with the two girls, and of course he would still need to have it ready to use for other people. He wanted to have his voice back so badly! Ranma was guiltily aware that he tried to force speech from his throat occasionally, beyond the attempts sanctioned by Mitaka-sensei, and despite her warnings. It was just so hard to believe that he couldn't bull his way through this, as he had for any other challenge he had overcome in the past.

At the end of the class, Ranma and Akane had approached the teacher and spent an extra quarter hour learning some basic terms they could use in the dojo. Expressions like "punch," "kick," "throw" and "attack." Ranma was also hoping that by Monday his skill on the ice might have reached a point where they could begin practicing some martial moves there. If so, they could integrate those signs into their training, and even make use of them in the upcoming match.

After the previous day's debacle, Akane and Ranma had decided to practice at a different skating rink. They said their good-byes and took off, running down the sidewalk beside each other. While they were gone, Kasumi dialed a telephone number, wondering if the third day would prove to be the charm.

Apparently so. A female voice on the other end answered, "Moshi, moshi."

Kasumi smiled. "Am I speaking to Hibiki-san?" On receiving an affirmative, Kasumi introduced herself, and a short conversation followed. Kasumi described herself as a friend of Ranma Saotome, whom Mrs. Hibiki remembered as a friend of her son Ryoga. The two women made plans for Kasumi to come visit at the Hibiki home later that afternoon. Kasumi already knew how to find it, as Ranma had given her the address and directions to the house.

* * *

Far to the southwest in Fukuoka, a Chinese girl with purple hair was roaming the streets. It had taken her some time to track down a rumor that her quarry had come ashore in this city, but the story she had finally unearthed of a red-haired girl arguing with a panda bear made it fairly certain that Ranma had indeed passed this way. She wished that the trail were not so cold. For that matter, she also wished that she understood the language better, as it was proving quite frustrating to ask people for information.

As the young woman walked along the streets of this foreign city, her thoughts turned once again to the family she had left behind. Her father, her great grandmother, her cousins. Never before had she been apart from them for such a length of time as this hunt had come to take. To give her spirit a boost she tried recalling stories her mother had told her, before she had passed on some six years ago. The Chinese girl imagined herself once more sitting in her mother's lap, listening with rapt attention to the tales of her people's history, their traditions, their duties.

Her pleasant daydreams were shattered by a sudden commotion on the other side of the street. A group of young men were harassing a schoolgirl, flipping up her skirt and, judging by the tone of voice and looks in their eyes, making lewd remarks. The few other people around seemed to be ignoring them. The Chinese girl felt fury erupt within her, to see a group of males treating a female in such a fashion. It was just such attitudes which her people had fled millenia ago, to found their own society, as told in the tales upon which she had only just been reflecting.

Such behavior was intolerable, and the young woman was in no mood to tolerate it. Here was an opportunity to vent weeks of frustration, not that she thought of it in those terms. A mace appeared in her hand seemingly from out of nowhere, and with flashing eyes she marched menacingly across the street.

It was several weeks before the young men in question were released from the hospital.

* * *

On Monday after school, students again gathered on one of the fields to watch Akane and Ranma spar, as they passed the time waiting to see if Ryoga would show that day. Neither noticed Kasumi on the periphery of the crowd, accompanied by a mildly stout woman in her thirties. As it happened, Ryoga did not put in an appearance.

Throughout the day Tuesday, Kuno told anyone who would listen that he would rid the school of the demon Saotome as soon as classes were ended. Few people paid attention, as they had heard these rants several times now, and both the students and teachers were already becoming accustomed to Ranma and his curse. Not that they intended to miss the action. Kuno's bones had knit, Ranma had agree to meet him after school, and it promised to be exciting.

When the final bell rang, all of the students, and several of the teachers, streamed out to the soccer field. Kuno strode out wearing his hakama, and carrying a bokken over his shoulder. Ranma was already on the field, waiting, dressed normally, looking bored. Kuno took up his stance, and mentally prepared himself for his attack upon the demon.

"Ranma Saotome! Prepare to die!"

Kuno's and Ranma's heads snapped around to look, as did the onlookers. Ryoga was standing there, face dark and fists clenched. His pack was on the ground at his feet. Seeing that he was now the center of attention, he stooped to pull out his umbrella. Rising once more to a standing position, Ryoga faced Ranma with a grim smile. Without warning, the boy launched himself forward, running toward Ranma.

Kuno stepped between them, bokken at the defensive. "Hold, varlet! I have challenged this demon, and now is the time for us to do battle! Why do you seek to interfere when the judgment of heaven is about to strike through me at the accursed one?"

Ryoga skidded to a stop and stared at Kuno. Then he shook his head to free it of the tangle of words. "Just get out of the way, you nut! _I_ challenged Ranma, and I'm going to fight him! Now move aside, before you get hurt!"

"Nay, that I shall not do," replied Kuno. "I have waited long for this day when I shall bring justice to the creature. For its crimes against the fair Akane Tendo, for the injury done to my depraved sister, it must pay. Now stand back, knave, before you too face the wrath of the Blue Thunder!"

"I don't believe this!" shouted Ryoga. "It took me three days to find this place, and you expect me to wait for my vengeance? Ha! You can have whatever's left when I'm done!" With that he strode forward, and attempted to shove past Kuno.

Kuno's bokken swung down, only to be deflected by Ryoga's umbrella. Ryoga snapped a kick at Kuno's head, but the kendoist dodged and brought his blade across from the other side. Ryoga leaped over it, and brought his umbrella down in an overhead strike to smash Kuno flat, but once again missed, blasting a crater into the ground instead.

Akane turned to face Ranma, saying, "Do you think they've forgotten they're here to fight y...?" The question broke off at the sight of Ranma watching the fight avidly, munching on pocky, occasionally punching at the air with a fist in enthusiasm over some move one or the other of the combatants made. Becoming aware of Akane's scrutiny, he turned to regard her innocently, then offered her some of the pocky.

Bemusedly, Akane reached out and took a piece, then turned back to the fight as she bit into it. She was just in time to see Kuno's bokken slice through Ryoga's umbrella, as the latter attempted to block a strike. Ryoga jumped back with a tear in his shirt, through which the spectators could see a long mark across his chest with a few beads of blood punctuating it.

Ryoga gave a low, menacing growl, then rushed in, ducking under another strike. One elbow drove hard into Kuno's stomach, while the other hand snapped out with a bandanna, which wrapped around the wrist whose hand held the bokken. As Tatewaki bent forward over the pain in his gut and tried to regain his breath, Ryoga pivoted around the tied wrist, disarming Kuno and tossing the bokken aside. With a snarl, the edge of his hand came down on Kuno's forearm, and the crowd heard the crack of bone being broken.

Ryoga paled at the sound. He had lost his temper at the cut across his chest, but now felt guilty for having gone too far. He looked down at his opponent who had sunk to his knees, and whose face was even more pale than his own.

"Ryoga!" A woman's shout came from the side, and Ryoga's head spun around. His face became even more pale at the sight of his mother bearing down upon him. He gently lowered the broken arm he was still holding aloft by his bandanna, until it rested across Kuno's thighs. Then he straightened up to face his doom.

"Ryoga Hibiki!" His mother snapped out his full name in that tone which only mothers can use. "How could you? What would your grandfather say if he could be here today to see how you use the martial arts he taught you? You had already defeated and disarmed that boy! What possible excuse can you give for breaking his arm?"

"But mom ..." Ryoga began.

"Don't 'mom' me, young man!" She told him sharply. "And what's all this I hear about you wanting to hurt Ranma-kun?"

"But he ... he ..."

"He what? I'll admit the boy can be overly arrogant, and conceited too, but he was also a friend to you. Or don't you remember all the times he helped you to and from school?" She gave her son a maternal glare. "So kindly tell me why I arrived here today to hear you shouting at Ranma-kun that he should 'prepare to die'?"

"I, um, well, I, uh, I may not have been ... uh ... _entirely_ serious when I said that." Ryoga was sweating heavily.

"I don't particularly care whether you meant it seriously or not," Mrs. Hibiki told him firmly. "It was inappropriate, regardless. I can well believe that Ranma-kun may have insulted you, or done you some similar wrong, but that hardly justifies you in issuing _death_ threats!"

Everyone was watching the exchange between mother and son in fascination. Kuno was looking around through a glaze of pain, wondering if anyone was going to get medical help for him. Mrs. Hibiki looked around at the stares, and pursed her lips.

"Ryoga-chan, you will come with me, now!" she whispered sternly. Raising her voice, she called out, "Ranma-kun, would you mind coming with us?" Ranma nodded, and he and Akane followed behind Ryoga, who was walking with hanging head behind his mother. Kasumi was also there and accompanied them.

Kuno looked around at the dispersing students and faculty. His voice called out weakly, "Help ...?"

Nabiki walked up to him with a smirk. "Need some help, Kuno-baby? Sure, I'll be glad to." She paused for a beat. "For ten thousand yen."

"Witch," Kuno muttered, without heat. "Very well. Also, please inform Saotome that I have not forgotten, and it _shall_ face me when I am healed once more."

* * *

The small party rounded a corner of the school, and stopped there when Mrs. Hibiki saw that they would have a little more privacy. She looked upon her only child, and shook her head in exasperation.

"Before we discuss your behavior any further, young man," she stated tartly, "may I ask for the story behind the collar that you're wearing?"

Ryoga's hand came up self-consciously to hide the tag with "Charlotte" engraved upon it. He blushed furiously. "I, uh ..." Ryoga's features firmed. "It's all Ranma's fault!"

"Ranma-kun put the collar on you?" Ryoga's mother asked.

"Um, no," Ryoga answered meekly. More angrily, he told her, "But it's all his fault that it was able to happen in the first place! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be ... uh ... uh ..."

"Cursed?" inquired his mother. Ryoga's face flushed again. "Tendo-san," she nodded in Kasumi's direction, "explained to me about that, although I admit that I'm having a great deal of trouble believing it. However, I won't humiliate you by asking you to demonstrate here and now."

Ranma held up a hand, drawing attention. He walked over to a water fountain on the outside wall of the school, and splashed some water on himself. He returned to the group as a female. Mrs. Hibiki swallowed heavily.

"I, er, thank you, Ranma-kun. I'm very sorry to hear about your curse as well, and ..." Her eyes closed, and she shuddered. "Oh dear, I don't think I fully realized ... really believed ... Oh Ryoga, my poor baby!" She flung her hands around the boy, squeezing him tightly. His head swiveled around taking in the expressions on the others' faces, looking even more embarrassed now than he had over the collar.

She drew back after a few minutes, holding her son at arm's length, blinking away tears. "Well, what's done is done. Somehow, we go on. It's not like we're not accustomed to life's little vicissitudes, what with our other little problem." Her features grew stern once more. "Now would you please explain why you blame Ranma-kun for your, um, _new_ problem?"

"I, uh ..." Ryoga _really_ didn't want to talk about this, but he couldn't refuse his mother. Especially with the look she was giving him. "Well, it started with a duel where Ranma was supposed to fight me last December."

"You mean the one where Ranma waited for you for three days?" Akane asked innocently.

Ryoga's face darkened. "And when I showed up on the fourth day, he had run away, like a coward. So I followed him. For months. Never quite catching up. Until one day ..."

The boy got a faraway look in his eyes. "I was standing on a cliff, looking over a valley. I heard a noise, and looked up to see this huge panda bear about to trample me. I jumped over it, but there was a girl running behind it who knocked me out of the way. A red-haired girl ..." He turned to glare at Ranma, who did his best to look innocent. An attempt at which he failed miserably.

"I fell over the edge of the cliff, and landed in a pool of water. I ... changed." Ryoga's voice had grown husky, making it sound like he was holding back tears. "I nearly drowned, until a ... paw ... came down and lifted me out. But not to save me. They threw me into a pot of boiling water to _cook_ me. Of course, that changed me back, and I was able to escape."

Ryoga looked over to Ranma again, baring his teeth. "And it's all _Ranma's_ fault! If he hadn't run out on our duel, I wouldn't have followed him! If he hadn't gone to Jusenkyo, I wouldn't have been there! If he hadn't knocked me off the cliff, I wouldn't have landed in the cursed pool! I've been through _hell_ because of him."

Ranma looked abashed, but Mrs. Hibiki gave a deep sigh. "Now Ryoga, please think. Ranma-kun never struck me as the sort to run out on any duel." Ranma shook his head to emphasize his agreement. "You couldn't expect him to wait forever. After all ..."

She stopped as Ranma pressed a piece of paper into her hands. She read, "Pop knocked me out on the third day. Dragged me away." She showed the note to her son, and said, "You see? Ranma-kun didn't run away on purpose. It was his father. Now _he_ I could certainly see running off."

She sighed again. "It was your decision to follow them, so I don't want to hear any more of your blaming Ranma-kun for _that_. As for what happened on the cliff ..." She turned to Ranma. "What do _you_ have to say about that?"

Ranma looked highly embarrassed. He wrote, "Don't remember it. Was chasing pop for getting me cursed. Too angry to remember anything else."

Mrs. Hibiki frowned at the red-haired teen, causing Ranma to cringe. Turning back to her own son, she continued. "You said the girl was chasing after the panda, didn't you? So did she _really_ knock you aside, or did the two of you just collide?"

"Of course he ...! Um ..." Ryoga squirmed. His mother was giving him that _look_ again. The same look she had given him at age eight when he tried to blame their dog for breaking the lamp. "He ... he ... it's his fault!" Ryoga's voice rose to a wail. "His fault! Not mine! His!" The boy slumped down to his knees in front of his mother. In a voice of utter despair, he whispered, "I turn into a pig, momma."

The woman gave her son a gentle look and stroked a hand through his hair. "Shh, Ryoga. It's a terrible thing, but you're my brave boy, right? Now let's go home. There's someone I want you to talk to. We'll give him a call, and he'll come over to the house before dinner."

Ryoga looked up at her, puzzled. "Who?"

His mother continued smiling gently. "Just someone who's a good listener. Someone you can tell your problems to, who can help you think things through."

Ryoga worked his way through this. "You mean ... some sort of ... _shrink_?" His face twisted in repugnance. "_I_ don't need someone like that." He looked at Ranma out of the corner of his eye to take in his rival's reaction, feeling humiliated over the suggestion. To his surprise, Ranma was not sneering, but was instead holding out a hand with his thumb up.

Mrs. Hibiki retorted. "Now you don't need to worry about Ranma-kun thinking less of you because of it. After all, he's seeing a therapist himself."

Ryoga came to his feet quickly, spinning around. "You! The great Ranma Saotome! You're seeing a _shrink_?!"

Ranma shrugged, looking amused rather than offended. He pointed to his throat, then opened his mouth, saying nothing. Again he held his hand out with his thumb up.

Akane spoke up. "Ryoga-kun, Ranma and I have both been seeing a therapist." She blushed as she admitted, for the first time, that she had been receiving therapy as well, and not just having chats with Mitaka-sensei during Ranma's sessions. "Believe me, it can help. Just having someone _listen_ to your problems, without telling you you're just being silly, it's ..." She paused, groping for words. "You should give it a try."

Ryoga shook his head, baffled. He was hearing their words, but it wasn't making any sense. Ranma had become a towering presence in his life, if a dark one upon whom he lavished hatred and blame for all that was wrong. The idea that Ranma was talking to a therapist, that was just crazy! Impossible! Ranma, like himself, solved all of his problems with his fists! Didn't he?

"Ryoga?" He turned at the sound of his mother's voice, and saw that her eyes were pleading. "Won't you try this? For me?"

The tension drained out of Ryoga, and his arms hung loosely. He couldn't refuse such a heartfelt request from his own mother. Still looking confused, he answered her, "Okay, mom. I'll try."

Mrs. Hibiki smiled, but said nothing more. She took her son's hand, then nodded to Kasumi. With a smile of her own, Kasumi led them off, to help the pair to return to their home. Akane and Ranma gave identical sighs of relief as they watched the trio depart.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed," Akane suggested. Ranma gave an agreeing nod.

* * *

Kuno was surprised that he actually received some sympathy from his classmates the next day, when he showed up with a cast on his arm once again. The sympathy rapidly wore off as he described how he would rain vengeance down upon the head of the demon Saotome as soon as the cast was off.

By the end of skating practice Wednesday, Akane was feeling marginally cheerful. Ranma's skill on skates had improved considerably. His determination to acquire that skill had increased astronomically after Mikado's attempted kiss. They might not be as graceful on the ice as the Golden Pair, but Akane was hopeful that their martial skills would make up the difference.

Thursday found Akane and Ranma standing outside of Kolkhoz High School, ice skates draped over their shoulders and held by the laces. A sign in front of them announced that the "Charlotte Cup" was being held that day. Taking deep breaths, they entered the building, side by side.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Just in case you're worried about it, I have no intention of putting all of the characters into therapy. Though admittedly, almost all of them could benefit from it. But only Ranma, Akane and Ryoga will be seeing therapists in this story, and we won't even be looking in on Ryoga's sessions.

Although I said something about it in this chapter, let me explain a little further why Kodachi was so seriously injured in the last chapter. It wasn't just because of the kiss. If that was all she had done, then Ranma's reaction probably would have ranged between shoving her away or hitting her, depending on the exact circumstances. The real problem was the paralysis gas, which left Ranma completely unable to move. Unable to defend himself. Feeling totally helpless. It was the emotions aroused by that which brought forth the neko-ken and caused Ranma to injure Kodachi as he did.

This is why Ryoga, before the incident with Kodachi, got off with nothing worse than a fractured rib. Despite the things he did which caused Ranma to flash back and freak out a bit, Ranma was able to defend himself. He wasn't forced to feel helpless in those instances. Likewise, he didn't feel totally helpless against Sanzenin since he was able to fight back.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	8. Of Ice and Amazons

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 8. Of Ice and Amazons**

The neighborhood watch rarely had to concern itself with the Tendo property, as only the most supremely foolish thief or vandal would risk encountering the residents thereof. Nonetheless, that address was a regular center of unusual occurrences which were frequently entertaining for those who lived nearby, and so the neighbors' eyes were drawn to it regardless. Consequently, the presence of the gaudily garbed young woman standing outside the gate of the Tendo home, looking in, did not go unnoticed. An elderly woman walking down the sidewalk paused at the sight and decided to see what was up. Clucking to herself, she crossed the street and approached the girl. "Excuse me, miss?"

The girl turned to regard the woman now standing beside her, revealing herself to be Chinese. Chinese, wearing clothes that no decent Japanese girl would ever think of wearing, and with purple hair even! The woman frowned over the sight. ‹Children these days,› she thought to herself with resignation. ‹Purple! Probably just wants to attract attention.›

However, she didn't allow these thoughts to show on her face. She smiled sweetly and told the girl, "I'm afraid the Tendo's aren't home, dear. They're all over at Kolkhoz High School. The youngest is in some sort of skating match."

"Kolkhoz?" the Chinese girl repeated questioningly.

The gray-haired matron pointed south and said, "About two kilometers that way."

The purple-haired teenager gave a grim smile, and said something in Chinese while nodding her head in thanks. She then took off in the indicated direction.

The elderly woman continued down the street, wondering why the girl didn't just wait here, and whether she would be able to find the school. She then shrugged it away as being no business of hers. Besides, no doubt other people would provide the young woman with directions along the way.

* * *

Akane and Ranma entered the school building as part of a steady stream of students who were all chatting about the upcoming match, all heading down a hall which presumably led to the skating rink. They followed the crowd, and found a helpful individual who showed them to the dressing rooms. Ranma waved good-bye to Akane as she went through one door, then opened the next door to find Mikado Sanzenin already standing there, combing his hair while looking at himself in a mirror.

The tall boy turned to look at him, saying, "So, Ranma Saotome, you showed up after all. Frankly, I'm a little surprised. You must know you don't have a chance."

Ranma sneered at Mikado but, naturally, said nothing. He put the bag he was carrying down on a bench and started to remove his street clothes.

Mikado chuckled. "You don't even dare to answer. Proof enough that you realize how outmatched you are."

Ranma hung his head and clenched a fist, longing to loose a stream of insults, detailing his exact opinion of the skater. Unfortunately, the thought of pulling out his pad, writing it all down, then handing over the piece of paper ... it just seemed like it would lose a lot in translation. Instead he pretended to ignore the fool, and continued changing.

Mikado turned away scornfully, sliding his comb into a pocket and unzipping the bag containing his own outfit. Tauntingly, he remarked, "Your partner, what's her name? Akane Tendo, yes? I have not yet given her a proper greeting." Mikado, watching sidelong, saw Ranma look up. "I need to correct that. I promise you, at some time during today's match, I shall steal Akane Tendo's lips!" With a sense of satisfaction, he saw Ranma's face darken.

As far as Ranma was concerned, Mikado had just stepped over the line. With a sudden flip, he was standing directly in front of the other boy, and his fingertips shot out and nailed Mikado right in the forehead. Sanzenin fell backward, banging the back of his head against the wall as he landed in a sitting position on the bench behind him. His hand shot to his forehead with a grunt of pain, as he shouted, "You cretin! The match hasn't begun yet!"

Mikado saw a piece of paper land in his lap just as Ranma turned away and walked back across the room. Picking it up, he read, "1. You're not worth talking to. 2. If I did speak, I'd tell you what an ignorant jackass you are, and that you will definitely lose today. 3. If your lips come anywhere near Akane's, I'll rip them off your face. 4. Look in a mirror."

Mikado flushed with anger at his opponent's refusal to speak to him on top of the unprovoked, or at least premature, attack. Wondering at the last line, he stood up and walked over to the mirror on the wall, peering at his face. There was a bruise on his forehead. Staring at it, he thought it almost looked like ... no, it _was_ writing, reversed by the mirror. His face grew dark with fury as he realized that it spelled out "hentai."

All pretense at calm suavity was gone as Mikado snapped out, "I_will_ have my revenge out on the ice! _That_, I promise you!" Disdaining any further words, he spun back toward his bag and changed into his outfit for the match.

A short time later, the lights were lowered out on the rink. Spotlights picked out Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori as they skated onto the ice. The announcer cried out, "There they are! The Golden Pair of Martial Skating. Azusa Shiratoriiiii and Mikado Sanzeniiiiin!" The crowd went wild as Mikado lifted Azusa up and placed her in a kneeling position upon his shoulders. When he reached the other side of the rink and turned back, he extended an arm up and took Azusa's hand. She jumped down, skating beside him, and they came to a perfect stop with arms linked behind each other's backs.

Azusa looked up at Mikado's forehead as he stood beside her, and cutely asked, "Did widdle Mikey finally decide to advertise what he's like?" She was answered with a growl, although Mikado kept a smile plastered on his face for the crowd.

Ranma and Akane watched from the side with equally scornful expressions. Ranma was wearing a dark blue, almost black, costume on which a red and green dragon wound around his torso. Akane's outfit was a sparkling white patterned with large, colorful butterflies, and showed off her long legs to good effect. The spotlights on the Golden Pair suddenly turned off, and came back on with Akane and Ranma at their center. The two teenagers were startled as they realized that everyone was now focused on them.

"I, ah, guess we'd better make our entrance, Ranma," Akane squeaked nervously. The boy beside her nodded with grim determination, and Akane suddenly found herself lifted up to a sitting position on Ranma's shoulder as he took off across the ice.

"Ranma! What are you doing?" she hissed.

The announcer called out, "And here are the challengers from Furinkan High School. Their names ... where's that card? Oh. Akane Tendo and Ranma Sodomi." The sound of whispering was heard over the P.A. "What's that? Oh, excuse me. Ranma Saotome."

The cheers were of much lower volume this time, coming from the small delegation of students who had trooped over from Furinkan, and led by Kasumi and Soun Tendo. Nabiki Tendo was too busy canvassing the crowd, taking bets on the upcoming match. The cheers abruptly cut off as Ranma went into an uncontrolled spin, forcing Azusa and Mikado to leap apart and skate out of the way in order to avoid a collision. Ranma fell forward, and they came to a rest in the middle of the spotlight with Ranma on his hands and knees, and Akane sitting astride his back as if riding a horse.

"And the challengers make an entrance to knock your socks off!" the announcer proclaimed over the P.A.

Azusa skated over to the pair giggling. Akane climbed off and helped Ranma to his feet while glaring at the other girl. "Oh, just shut up!" she told her.

Azusa fought her giggles under control. She told them snidely, but in a honeyed voice, "Azusa thinks you should give up now. Before you humiliate yourself. Any more."

"What's the matter?" Akane sneered. "Are you so scared to face us that you need to talk us into quitting?"

Azusa didn't answer, and looked as uber-cute as ever, but something glittered in the depths of her eyes. As the lights came back up, she skated over to Mikado, and together they glided down to the other end of the rink. The two pairs faced one another, ready for the signal to begin.

In a sharply voiced aside, Akane whispered to her partner, "Stick to the plan, baka! We don't have to try to match them at skating. We just need to show them we're better at martial arts!" Ranma nodded, looking serious.

A bell rang, and instantly both couples were skating toward one another at high speed. Ranma gave Akane a signal whereupon she pivoted while holding his hands, swinging Ranma in a wide circle while his feet kicked out for the Golden Pair. Unfortunately this attack missed, as Mikado tossed Azusa into the air above it, and he himself ducked underneath.

Mikado slammed into Akane, wrapping his arms around her. Akane released Ranma's hands so that she could shove against Mikado's chest in an effort to prevent him from getting any closer. Azusa took advantage of this to grab Ranma and toss him across the rink, where he had difficulty bringing his skid to a halt before he could turn around to come to Akane's aid.

The announcer cried out, "Sanzenin goes straight to his specialty kiss attack!" Several girls in the audience shrieked in anticipation.

Akane was looking up into Mikado's face with a menacing snarl, while pressing both hands against his chest to force him to keep his distance. Unfortunately, the boy was stronger than he looked, and his arms around Akane's back were preventing her escape. A blow from her knee proved ineffective, as it impacted against some sort of protective cup.

Akane thanked Ranma for teaching her a technique for making effective short range punches, a skill he said he had learned in China. She drew one of her arms back several centimeters, then drove it forward like a piledriver. The breath whooshed out of Mikado's lungs. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Akane grabbed his shirt, falling backwards. She lifted her feet into Mikado's midsection and shoved with all of her might, sending the boy flying across the rink. With a bounce, she was back on her own feet before he even landed.

Mikado did several somersaults in the air, before landing on his feet facing Akane. A look of determination settled on his features. This was replaced a moment later by a look of intense pain, as he bent over clutching at his side and fell to his knees. Mikado had neglected to notice that Akane had thrown him in the same direction in which Azusa had thrown Ranma, and as Ranma skated past to rejoin Akane he had thrown a rock hard punch into Mikado's side.

Azusa skated over to where Mikado was kneeling on the ice, appearing concerned. She poked him in the side, asking, "Does him hurt here, sweetums? Does him hurt here? Here?"

Mikado spun around, shouting, "Aaah! Yes, it hurts there, so_why_ are you _pounding_ on it, you _ditz_?!"

Azusa feigned a look of innocence, and allowed a few tears to appear in her eyes. "But widdle Azusa is worried about him!"

Mikado ignored the girl. He looked down the ice toward where Akane was standing, glaring back at him. Sounding puzzled, he commented, "She must be very shy, to refuse my kiss like that."

Azusa followed his glance, taking in the glare. "I believe that she's sincerely repulsed." The girl turned and gave him a twisted smirk. "Azusa knows how she feels."

Her partner turned to regard her, forehead wrinkling. "What's_that_ supposed to mean?"

Azusa reached out and poked him in the nose. "I'm sure that smart widdle Mikey can figure it out for himself."

Mikado growled, but did not respond. He climbed to his feet, wincing, and looked down the ice toward Ranma. He gave off a palpable aura as he called out, "To think that anyone could bring Mikado Sanzenin to his knees! You shall pay for that, Ranma Saotome!" The audience gasped in anticipation.

Ranma gave his opponent a dark, angry look, then skated over to where the announcer sat. He reached across the wall and grabbed paper and a pencil, upon which he wrote for a few seconds. He shoved the paper in front of the announcer and pointed to the microphone. As he turned back to face Mikado, the voice of the announcer came over the P.A.

"The challenger has written, 'Any man who would force himself on a woman is no man. The next time you pull that with Tendo-san, I'll do more than bring you to your knees. You'll be leaving this rink in a coffin! If your lips so much as touch her, I swear I'll kill you.' It seems that Saotome-san is upset over the attempt to kiss his partner."

As Ranma skated back over toward Akane, Mikado regarded them speculatively. Speaking loudly, he proclaimed, "I see now! You are in love with Akane Tendo!"

Ranma suddenly tripped, and skidded across the ice on his belly until he came to a stop at Akane's feet.

Akane looked around wildly, blushing bright red. In a panic, she thought, ‹Oh no! Everyone heard him say that! Oh my God, I think I'm blushing! What if they notice? Why am I not yelling that it isn't true?!›

Mikado tilted his head back and laughed. "Such love is a fragile bond. I swear that I will do all in my power to shatter that bond! For you see, we, skating's 'Golden Pair,' are known by another name as well ... the Anti-Matchmakers!"

Ranma climbed back to his feet, blushing as brightly as Akane, not daring to look at her. Azusa and Mikado began skating toward them, accelerating rapidly. Azusa climbed onto Mikado's back in preparation for their next attack. Akane and Ranma simultaneously realized that they had to set aside their embarrassment and concentrate on the fight. Taking each other's hand, they skated toward their advancing foes.

The announcer was proclaiming, "Could this be ...? I think ... I think ... yes, I do believe that Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori are about to perform their ultimate move! The _Couple Cleaver_!" Many of the Kolkhoz students gasped on hearing this.

At a signal from Ranma's free hand, Akane jumped together with Ranma, and both of them lashed out with kicks toward the Golden Pair. Mikado tossed Azusa into the air, then ducked beneath the kicks, barely avoiding them. Reaching up, Mikado managed to grab hold of Ranma's ankle, halting his progress as Akane continued past. Coming back down from above, Azusa wrapped her arms around Ranma. She gave him a cute little kiss on the nose, eliciting more gasps from the audience.

Akane had turned around in time to see this kiss, becoming angry at the sight, although she did not stop to analyze the cause of her anger. She began skating back toward them at high speed, as Azusa slipped down to take hold of Ranma's ankles, tripping and throwing him down. Akane was just in time to grab hold of Ranma's hand and save him from smacking face first into the ice.

Mikado, seizing Azusa's ankles, suddenly stood, holding Azusa straight up above him. Ranma and Akane were also carried aloft by this move, since Azusa still had hold of Ranma's ankles with his feet sticking out in front of her, and Akane had not released Ranma's hands. Without warning, Mikado started spinning at high speed. The rotation was so rapid, that Ranma and Akane stretched out horizontally above the floor as they spun around Azusa.

The announcer was shouting, "There it is! The terrible Couple Cleaver, also known as the Good-Bye Whirl! If he betrays his partner and lets go, then he alone will be spared, while his partner will be thrown into the wall."

"Release her and I'll stop spinning!" Mikado shouted.

A look of grim determination firmed on Ranma's features.

"L-let go, Ranma!" Akane called out. "If you don't let go, it'll only get worse!"

"Heh heh!" chortled Mikado. "Exactly. The more you trust each other, the greater the shock when he finally lets go of you. You are doomed to disaster, whatever you do!" With an effort, Mikado increased the speed of their spin.

Akane saw a look of unconquerable will in Ranma's eyes. His hands holding hers felt like they were made of steel and cable. The muscles in his arms bulged ominously with the effort they were making, stretching the fabric of his costume to the breaking point. In a flash of insight, Akane realized that she was seeing a side of Ranma which he had not yet shown her, a refusal to surrender no matter what the odds, an indomitable spirit which would win at any cost. With this realization she knew that any further pleas were useless, and she felt a fierce desire rise up within her to appear worthy in his eyes.

Summoning all of her considerable strength, Akane pulled against Ranma's grip, pivoting her legs forward against the force of the spin. With a loud "Kyaa!" she abruptly straightened underneath Ranma, thrusting both legs toward the axis of the rotation. Akane's feet slammed into Azusa's back with all the force of a mule's kick, with predictable results.

Azusa was already starting to feel a little dizzy when a pain greater than anything she had ever experienced exploded in her back, and all air vanished from her lungs. With no strength left in her muscles, she released Ranma's ankles, while fighting against the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her. She didn't even realize that she and Mikado were falling until she struck the ice, and the darkness succeeded in its claim.

Meanwhile, no longer held in place, Akane and Ranma were flying through the air alongside one another. They could see the wall rapidly approaching, and Akane knew that in bare seconds she was going to be in a world of pain, assuming she even survived the impact. Mercifully, there was no time to dwell on this knowledge.

At the last moment, Ranma's arms wrapped around Akane and pulled her into a tight hug. She felt their bodies twist in midair, and then came the impact she had feared. Only it wasn't nearly as painful as she expected, and when she landed on the ice she opened her eyes to see that Ranma had turned them so as to strike the wall by himself, cushioning her body with his own.

The audience was roaring. The announcer was shouting, "Amazing! Ranma Saotome is still holding his partner, Akane Tendo! They foiled the Good-Bye Whirl! But at what price? Will Ranma Saotome rise again?"

Akane pulled Ranma's arms from around her body in order to rise to her knees. Further down the rink, Mikado had climbed to his hands and knees and was looking over at Azusa lying unmoving on the ice. The announcer continued his oration. "But Azusa Shiratori is down as well! Only one partner remains for each team! Will the match end in a draw?"

Akane looked up at the wall where they had struck, eyes wide in disbelief. There was a massive crater in the wall, with cracks radiating outward from it. Some of those cracks descended to the floor, and the ice had cracks in it as well. As she watched, water started welling up through these cracks.

Akane turned back to the boy lying at her knees. "Ranma? Ranma!" She had a hand on his chest, her face close to his, eyes glistening, wondering how badly injured he might be. ‹He ... he sacrificed himself! All for my sake!› The threatening tears erupted, as Akane buried her face in Ranma's chest. "Oh Ranma! Why? Why did you do it?"

A soft touch caressed Akane's cheek. Her face turned to the side to see Ranma's hand, where it had attempted to brush the hair back from her eyes. In awe, Akane watched his eyelids flutter and open. Ranma tried to push himself upward, and Akane helped him to rise to a sitting position.

"I ... I was worried about you," Akane whispered.

Ranma gave her a feeble grin, and made a sign which indicated, "I'm okay." He shoved himself to his feet, but then froze in place, features twisted in agony, as his body made it clear that it was _not_ happy with the treatment it had recently received. He sank back to his knees, dizzy with pain.

When Ranma jumped up, the announcer had declared, "Incredible! Ranma Saotome is back on his feet! How could he have survived such a crushing blow!" A few moments later, he informed everyone, "No, wait! He's back down! Perhaps he is only human after all!"

Ranma was trying to get to his feet once more, when Akane closed the couple of meters of distance between them and placed her hands on his shoulders. She was on her knees, face to face with him, tears welling in her eyes. As soon as he stopped moving, Akane took one of Ranma's hands in hers, saying, "Ranma, please ... don't push yourself. It ... the match ... isn't worth it." Ranma was looking up into her face, searching her eyes. Akane went on, "Don't you see? You're hurt ... if you try to fight now, you might ... I couldn't bear that. You need to recover."

Unnoticed behind them, the water was starting to spurt up through the cracks in the ice, which were becoming wider and spreading. As a fountain began to form, the audience started pointing, exclaiming. The announcer informed everyone, "That's right! This unique rink was created by freezing a swimming pool!"

Ranma's head jerked around just as a chunk of ice broke free, throwing a deluge of freezing water over himself and Akane. To the astonishment of the crowd, the skater they had been watching in the match transformed into a female in front of their eyes. A shocked murmur spread rapidly through the crowd, as people asked one another if they had really just seen a boy turn into a girl.

Mikado had been examining Azusa's prone form and thus missed these events. He concluded that none of her injuries were serious, beyond some bruising and soreness which would probably last a few days, and that she would likely regain consciousness in a few minutes. As the noise from the audience abruptly changed, Mikado rose to his feet and looked around for the reason. With a delighted expression, he saw that the red-haired girl was standing beside Akane Tendo, looking with disgust at the water shooting up from the pool underneath the ice. He took no notice of Ranma's absence from the scene.

Abandoning his partner, Mikado skated across the rink to where Akane and Ranma were kneeling. As he skated past, he took hold of the redhead's hands, pulling her to her feet and away from the scene of destruction. He failed to observe the girl's look of agony at this handling, but did note the costume she was wearing.

"What's this?" he exclaimed. "You are wearing the same costume as Ranma Saotome? Are you perchance his sister? Oh, that one so fair as yourself could be related to that thug."

Akane looked over to where Mikado was holding Ranma's hands, then skated in the other direction. She stopped directly in front of her family, then leaned across the wall. "Looks like I'm going to need it now," she said to Kasumi as she reached out a hand.

Kasumi nodded, and pulled a thermos out of the bag beside her. Akane took it and turned around. Eyes narrowing at the nonsense Mikado was spouting from his mouth, Akane skated rapidly to join them.

As the crowd watched, they wondered whether Sanzenin knew that the one beside him was really a boy, or at least some sort of quasi-half-boy half-girl. Mikado continued to speak loudly, his words easily reaching the astonished ears of the spectators.

"I think you must be the most beautiful girl I have ever met," Mikado told Ranma, exuding all of the charm of which he was capable. "From the moment I laid eyes upon you, I felt that we were destined to be together. At least for today. No barrier shall stand between myself and my love for you, this I swear!"

"You might want to rethink that, Sanzenin," Akane called out as she skated up to them.

"Nay, for she has captured my heart," Mikado replied. "I want everyone here to see that no words or actions can possibly turn aside my love for ..."

The words chopped off as Akane held out the thermos and poured. In a flash, Mikado found himself holding Ranma's hand, telling the entire audience that nothing could turn aside his love for this boy. He seemed turned to stone as Ranma forcefully folded the fingers back to free his hand. Akane reached out a fingertip and pressed it against Mikado's shoulder. The tall boy tipped over and crashed to the ice.

The announcer was on his feet, shouting. "Both Azusa Shiratori and Mikado Sanzenin are down! They seem to be out cold! The team from Furinkan High School, Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome, are the winners!"

Akane slid up beside Ranma. "Can you make it back to the dressing room okay?" she asked him worriedly.

Ranma responded with a smile and a thumbs up. They skated across the ice toward the exit, while people came out with stretchers for their opponents. Azusa rose to a sitting position before they reached her, holding a hand to her head. "Ohhh! Widdle Azusa's head hurts!" Her back then informed her brain of how _it_ was feeling. In a gruff voice with no trace of cuteness, Azusa exclaimed, "Shit! My back!"

As Akane and Ranma skated past the place where they had hit the wall, a slab of ice broke free under their feet and tilted them both into the water underneath. Ranma felt himself change into a female again, while he held his breath and looked around frantically to see if Akane was all right. Apparently she wasn't, since he saw her rapidly sinking toward the bottom of the pool, trailing a thin stream of bubbles.

Swimming rapidly, Ranma reached Akane and pulled her back to the surface. She was unconscious, and he lay her on her stomach, pressing against her back to force the water from her lungs. With a cough, Akane expelled a quantity of water, and Ranma was relieved to see that his friend seemed to be breathing all right, although she wasn't awake yet. He lifted Akane in his arms and carried her off of the ice.

* * *

Akane awoke in what was clearly a nurse's office, lying on a thin bed. Kasumi was standing nearby, smiling fondly, while Ranma was sitting cross-legged on a counter in the room in his female form. He had a blanket wrapped around himself, twin to the one covering her own body. He gave a sudden sneeze.

"What happened?" Akane asked of the room in general.

"Do you remember winning the match?" Kasumi asked. After Akane nodded, her older sister pulled out a key on a chain. "I got the key to the locket, since you won. Would you like me to deliver it to the Hibiki's for you?"

"Yes, please, oneechan. But why am I here?"

"Well, when you and Ranma were leaving the rink, a large piece of ice broke off under your feet and tossed both you and Ranma into the water below it."

Akane sucked in her breath, glad now that she couldn't remember. She wasn't able to swim, and drowning was a special fear of hers.

Kasumi placed a reassuring hand on Akane's shoulder, before going on. "Ranma pulled you out, got the water out of your lungs, then carried you here. By the time we caught up, he had you on the bed with the blanket tucked around you. He's been sitting on the counter over there ever since. I think he was a little worried about you."

"Really?" She looked over at the damp, shivering girl. "Um, thank you, Ranma."

Ranma turned his face toward her, producing a tentative smile. The smile vanished as he sneezed once more. He jumped down and walked over to Akane, holding a pad. When he showed it to her, Akane read, "Another victory, eh? Want to celebrate at a restaurant again?"

Akane smiled, and replied, "Uh, okay. That'd be ..."

Her words cut off as cracks blossomed in the wall behind Ranma. Akane and Kasumi stared, and Ranma spun around, as the wall bulged inward then shattered explosively. Standing in the hole was a beautiful Chinese girl, purple hair streaming behind her, two large maces in her hands. Her beauty was marred by the furious glare on her face.

The girl lifted one of her chui and pointed it in Ranma's direction, focusing his eyes on the large, mace-like weapon. Her words, when they came, dripped with venom. "Ranma! I kill!"

Akane and Kasumi were speechless. So, necessarily, was Ranma. The temporary girl backed up slowly, holding his hands out in a warding gesture. The Chinese girl sprung forward, striking as she shouted "Kill!" once more. Her chui smashed a hole in the wall behind Ranma.

As Ranma leaped over the strike, he yanked the blanket from around his shoulders. He threw it over his attacker, who promptly swept it aside with one of her weapons. However, in the brief moment that he had been out of her sight, Ranma had disappeared from the room.

Looking around the room which clearly held no one other than the two remaining girls, the Chinese teenager queried, "Ranma?"

Akane pointed out the hole through which the stranger had entered. The girl growled, and angrily swung one of her chui to the side, smashing the cabinets on which Ranma had recently been sitting. Wasting no further time, she jumped out through the hole, searching for her escaped quarry.

As soon as the other girl was out of sight, Akane jumped down from her bed. With an effort, she pulled the badly warped metal door off of the damaged cabinet, revealing Ranma cowering in one corner. The blow had clearly missed him by bare centimeters. She extended a hand to help Ranma climb out of the wreckage. Ranma sat down on the bed Akane had recently occupied, and took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

Akane was staring out of the hole through which the unexpected visitor had both entered and left. "Who was that, Ranma? And why did she want to kill you? And how many other people from your past are going to show up screaming 'Die!' or 'Kill!' or such?"

Ranma picked up the discarded pad and wrote, "More people are after my pop than me, but there might be one or two others." On reading this, Akane vented a long sigh, and gave him a look which soon had him squirming.

"So who was this one?" Akane pressed. "Please tell me you didn't knock her into one of the pools at Jusenkyo as well."

Ranma gave a snort and shook his head. He then began writing, handing Akane the sheets to read, while Kasumi looked over her younger sister's shoulder.

"This was the next day. After Jusenkyo. We were going someplace to pick up supplies. The guide called them the village of the Joketsuzoku. Pop and I were in our cursed forms.

"They were holding a tournament. The girl's name is Shampoo. I think. That's what it sounded like to me. She was fighting when we arrived. She won."

Ranma squirmed some more as he handed over the next piece of paper. "My pop and I were starving. There was this table piled with food. How were we supposed to know it was the first prize?"

Kasumi exclaimed, "Oh my!"

Akane found she couldn't stop a chuckle from breaking free. "I take it this Shampoo objected to you eating her prize? But isn't chasing you all the way here a little extreme?"

The next piece of paper read, "There's more. When she complained, I challenged her. Figured if I won, the prize would be mine. I won.

"Unfortunately, her people have this weird law. She gave me something called the Kiss of Death."

Akane looked up, eyes narrowed. "She kissed you? I thought you were a girl at the time?"

Ranma scribbled furiously. "On the cheek. The Kiss ofDeath. What were you imagining?"

Akane looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. Ranma handed her the next piece of paper. "The guide grabbed me. Dragged me away. Told me they consider losing to an outsider to be worse than death.

"The Kiss of Death is a promise to chase someone to the ends of the Earth to kill him. She chased us all the way across China.

"Thought I lost her when we came back to Japan. Guess not."

Kasumi looked up from the paper and caught his eye, noting his mildly dismayed expression. "What are you going to do, Ranma-kun?"

At first his only response was a shrug. After thinking about it a moment more, he wrote, "Try to stay male as much as possible. I don't think she's figured out about my curse." He stood and walked over to the sink, where he soon had the water running hot. Cupping his hands under the stream, Ranma splashed himself, triggering his transformation back to male.

Akane nodded, though she still felt a bit worried. Noticing her street clothes over on the counter, she was about to suggest to Ranma that he leave so that she could change. Then she looked once more at the large hole in the wall, leading to the outside. Picking up her clothes, she announced, "I'm going to go find the dressing room and change back. Then we can leave." Kasumi and Ranma followed behind her, except that Ranma went into the boys' dressing room to change into his own street clothes.

* * *

Shampoo had finally paused in her running around, fuming that Ranma was nowhere in sight. Had the Japanese girl with the short hair lied? Yet it had been obvious that Ranma was nowhere in the small room. She must have simply made good her escape.

Shampoo settled to a cross-legged position on the grass, feeling immensely tired. She had been on Ranma's trail for several weeks now, and in some ways seemed no closer to completing her quest than she had been at the beginning. Furthermore, she despised this strange country with its outlandish customs and speech she only half understood.

The teenage girl worried over whether the fault might lie with her. She had never before killed another person, and although she felt reasonably confident that she was ready to do so, the thought nagged at her that she might find the act more troubling than she wished. She wanted it to be over with, so that she could go home.

Contemplating her next step, Shampoo decided to head back to the Tendo property again. Ranma would probably return there, to pick up her belongings if for no other reason. In fact, the girl decided she had best hurry, in case her enemy was already on the way there to do just that.

Shampoo jumped back to her feet and started running, ignoring the stares of the passersby.

* * *

Ranma and the Tendo's walked home slowly, since Ranma was feeling less than stellar due to his impact with the wall. Akane was being rather solicitous to him in regard to this, and she was holding his arm just above the elbow as if she were afraid that he would topple over otherwise. The rest of the party affected not to notice. All eyes were also scanning the surroundings, looking for any sign of a Chinese girl with purple hair.

About halfway there a delivery truck drove through a puddle in the street beside them. A deluge of water drenched Ranma, while no more than a few drops fell on anyone else. Ranma stood there fuming, but there was little to be done so after a minute they continued on their way. Unfortunately, he had used all of the hot water in Kasumi's thermos at the skating rink, and none of them had thought to refill it afterward.

When they finally reached the front gate, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Ranma was looking forward to a long soak in the furo. They opened the gate and stepped inside.

"Ranma! I kill!"

Ranma dodged in the nick of time, and the mace shattered the gate behind him instead of shattering his bones.

‹Aww, c'mon Shampoo,› Ranma wanted to complain. ‹Why does it have to be today? Can't you come back tomorrow?› He jumped over another blow with centimeters to spare, and a large crater was blasted into the wall near the gate.

Ranma decided that he'd better take this elsewhere before any more of the Tendo property was damaged. He ran off through the ruined gate, followed closely by the swearing purple-haired girl. Akane yelled, "Hey! Wait!" then chased after them.

Pedestrians and drivers along the streets of Nerima were treated to quite a display. Three girls ran down the sidewalks at high speed, jumping over and dodging around obstacles and other people who were blocking the way. At one point the red-haired girl in front jumped up onto a lamppost, grabbing hold at a point about four meters above the ground, before pushing off with her feet to land a good six meters away. She was followed an instant later by a girl with long purple hair who did the same thing, and the action was repeated a third time a moment later by a girl with short black hair.

"Mommy, are they playing Follow the Leader?" a six year old girl asked.

"Um, I don't think so, honey," her mother answered, nervously reflecting on the large maces which the middle girl had carried.

They finally reached an area containing warehouses and similar businesses, with far fewer pedestrians, allowing Ranma to gain a little distance on Shampoo. He was scanning the surroundings as he ran, looking for either someplace which offered a good chance of losing his pursuer, or an open area where they could fight without doing a lot of property damage. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that Shampoo was still in sight, but almost a block behind now. Ranma made a hard turn into an alley, hoping he could get out the other end before Shampoo had a chance to see which way he went.

As soon as he entered the alley, the sounds of the city became muted. Ranma's eyes were still moving over everything rapidly, seeking any advantage. ‹Wait, this place ...› Ranma suddenly felt as if someone had plunged an ice cold dagger into his brain, and he fell to his knees gasping for breath. He remembered this place, the feel of the cold pavement on his back, the man's hand on his body. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to shut out the memories which insisted on replaying themselves.

Shampoo ran into the alley only to draw up short at the sight of Ranma kneeling on the ground, still as a statue. She moved forward slowly, warily, then saw that tears were streaming from the Japanese girl's eyes. Shampoo paused, perplexed, suddenly unsure of herself. On numerous occasions, the young warrior had indulged in a fantasy of bludgeoning the outsider girl as they fought gloriously to the death. She had never once pictured herself killing Ranma as the other girl knelt helplessly in front of her, weeping.

Akane pounded into the alley, barely avoiding a collision with Shampoo. At first she was confused, wondering why the Chinese girl was just standing there, weapons hanging aimlessly by her sides. Then she saw Ranma, and had to struggle with trying to understand what had set him off. It had been a long time since he had reacted this strongly, even after the worst of the nightmares.

When realization finally struck Akane, it came like a blow. This was the very same alley in which she had rescued Ranma that night. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed in a choked whisper, drawing a puzzled look from Shampoo.

Akane slowly stepped over to Ranma, kneeling beside him and placing an arm around his shoulders. She started murmuring words of comfort, too soft for Shampoo to make out, and apparently achieving little result. Akane stroked a hand along Ranma's hair, then wrapped her other arm around him and hugged the red-haired girl tightly.

"What wrong with her?" Shampoo wanted to know. "Why Ranma no fight?"

Akane turned a sorrow-filled look upon Shampoo, and spoke quietly, trying to avoid words the Chinese girl might not know. "When Ranma came here, she had an accident. She hurt her head, badly. She was knocked out. When she woke up, she was tied up, and three men were ... they were about to ..." Akane paused, considering the use of a euphemism for Ranma's sake, but decided clarity was more important. "... rape her. I found them and stopped them before they got very far. Ranma lost her voice that night. She hasn't been able to speak since it happened."

Akane looked around, causing Shampoo to follow her eyes. "This is the same alley where it happened. I'm sure Ranma didn't realize when she ran in here. This is the first time she's been here since that night."

The Amazon warrior looked poleaxed. The crime of rape carried severe punishment among the Joketsuzoku, a society founded by a group of women who sought to escape the tyranny of men. Traditions which arose from their origins still persisted millenia later, and Shampoo had learned the tales while sitting in her mother's lap, or as bedtime stories before falling asleep. Theirs was a hard and unforgiving culture in many ways, with little tolerance for outsiders, but on this one subject they were implacable. The first time Shampoo had ever left their village was only a year earlier, when she had joined her great-grandmother and a group of other warriors to hunt down three soldiers of the PLA who had assaulted an outsider girl from a neighboring village.

Now Shampoo looked with troubled eyes on the crying teenage girl in front of her and swallowed hard, finding it difficult to breathe past the lump which had lodged in her throat. In her mind's eye, the dimly remembered image of her mother's face looked down upon her sternly, lips pursed, taking in the entire tableau. Herself, standing threateningly over the other two. Ranma, kneeling before her, frozen, unresponsive beyond the tears. The other girl, arms wrapped around Ranma, trying to give comfort.

The young warrior of the Joketsuzoku looked down at the mace in her hand and tried to imagine herself striking Ranma with it, splattering her brains across the pavement. The image brought only a sense of revulsion. Her hands opened of their own will, dropping the heavy weapons onto the pavement with a clang, as she contemplated what she should do next.

Shampoo had spent several weeks arriving at this point, dwelling on the shame of her loss on the challenge log and the need to kill Ranma to redeem her honor. Now she had found Ranma, only to learn that the girl had been attacked and shamed herself by a group of males, scarred by the memory of that attack, and apparently bereft of the power of speech as a result. Fate had punished the girl more severely than Shampoo would ever have done, who would only have given her a clean death. The idea that Shampoo's honor would be served by killing the girl in front of her now seemed rather ... meaningless.

On the other hand, she must return to her people and inform them of her victory, else she would be outcast. Shampoo considered the matter for several minutes, before her features set, stony and grim. She stepped over to the two girls, determination echoing in her footsteps.

Akane looked up into the unreadable face above her. "You're not going to hurt her!" she said coldly.

Shampoo held up a forefinger. "Shampoo must report victory. Not kill." Her hand slashed down and caught Ranma across the back of the head, behind the ear. The pigtailed girl slumped forward, unconscious.

"Shampoo go now. Tell Ranma not be back." She turned around, collected her weapons, and strode out of the alley. When she returned to her people, she would tell them that her quest was successful, that she had defeated Ranma with a single blow to the head. Let them assume that she had killed the girl. Shampoo debated whether to tell the truth to her great-grandmother Cologne, deciding in the end that she would. She was confident that the matriarch would understand why she had acted as she had.

In the alley, Akane checked over Ranma, reassuring herself that he was not seriously hurt. She scooped him up into her arms and left that place, not wanting to be there when he awoke. Akane was a little puzzled over how quickly Shampoo had changed her mind about killing Ranma, but saw no hope of understanding unless she were to chase after the other girl and demand an explanation. Best to leave sleeping dogs lie, she decided.

When Ranma regained consciousness, he found himself lying on Akane's bed, still female. It took him a minute to remember what had happened, but when he did he began shaking. Akane quickly stood from her chair at the desk and crossed over to the bed to put her arms around him. They remained like that until Ranma finally stopped shivering.

Ranma gave Akane a grateful, if awkward, smile, then made an interrogative sign for "girl?"

"Shampoo?" Akane asked, to which Ranma nodded. Akane answered, "After I explained what was wrong with you, what had happened, she knocked you unconscious and then left. If I understood her correctly, she said that she had to report a victory, but had decided not to kill you. She definitely said to tell you that she wouldn't be back."

Ranma gave Akane a dubious look but then grinned. He mimed wiping nervous sweat from his brow with an exaggerated sweep of the back of his hand and breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Seeming to put the whole episode behind him, Ranma made the sign for bath and stood up.

Akane regarded him with worry showing in her eyes. "Ranma? Are you sure you're all right? Would you like to talk about it? The alley, I mean?"

Ranma stood and considered, biting his lip, then picked up a pad on the desk. He wrote, "Don't think I need to. Think it was just a shock - I just need some time. I'll talk to Mitaka-sensei about it tomorrow."

Moving on to the next sheet, he added, "But if you don't mind, I think I'd like to sleep here tonight. Even if I was supposed to be in the guest room tonight."

Akane read this and replied, "Sure Ranma. It's probably a good idea. Your subconscious may be planning something nasty, despite you thinking you're handling it okay."

Ranma wrote another message. "So, we still on to eat out tomorrow night to celebrate winning today?"

Akane laughed. "You know, I'd completely forgotten that you asked earlier. Things got a little exciting right about the time you gave me the note. Of course we will. Maybe this time Kuno won't stumble across us."

Ranma made a sour face at the thought, then gave Akane a thumbs up and left the room.

Alone in the furo, Ranma ceased projecting a brave front, struggling with the mess of emotions which had been churned up within him. The incident with Shampoo faded into the background, already seeming of much less importance to him than dealing with the leftover mental brittleness from the night of his arrival in Nerima. After all, people had attempted to kill him on several occasions - Shampoo was merely the latest, and doubtless wouldn't be the last. But he couldn't afford to fall apart in the middle of a fight like he had this afternoon.

He decided to confront this newly revealed weakness directly, although not today. In the meantime, after climbing out of the furo, Ranma went out to the dojo to meditate for the remainder of the afternoon. By the time he came inside for dinner, he was much calmer, in fact and not merely in appearance.

* * *

Far away in China a weary, grubby panda bear stood contemplating the pool of water at his feet. His eyes lifted to regard the sun nearing the mountain summit above. He'd only have time to test a couple more springs today, before it grew dark enough to be dangerous to walk around the pools.

Genma's thoughts turned momentarily to his son, as they had many times in the preceding weeks. ‹Where are you, boy? Why is it taking you so long to get here?› Putting the unanswerable question aside yet again, he reached into the cage at his feet and pulled out a rabbit.

Some days after arriving in the valley, he had been discussing the "unmapped pools" with the guide. There was an entire portion of the valley where the guide was unsure which pools were which, as the map of that section had been lost. Then the guide had mentioned a rumor of a Spring of Drowned Man, the Nanniichuan, which would curse a person to change into a man. Figuring that he would be cured if he could replace his current curse with a curse to change into a man, Genma immediately volunteered to undertake the task of mapping the springs.

So here he was, holding a rabbit over the water by its ears. Opening his paw, he released it, and watched as it vanished with a splash. Idly the panda wondered what it would change into this time. A fox? A mouse? A falcon? He still didn't know how a llama had managed to get to China to fall into a spring. Genma hoped it wouldn't be another creature like a dragon. _That_ one had nearly proved fatal.

The water churned and a tall figure stood up out of it. Genma nearly fainted on realizing that it was human, male. Its nose tried to twitch. It hopped out of the water, landing on hands and feet. Looking around in fright, it bounded away on all fours.

The bear held up a sign which proclaimed in large bold words, "At last!" Thinking only of his cure, not hesitating for a moment, he jumped into the pool. As the water closed over his head, Genma felt the change take him.

* * *

The next day, Ranma insisted on leaving early for their session with Mitaka-sensei, although he would give no explanation to Akane. He also selected a different route to her office, one which took them considerably out of the way, which served to increase Akane's frustration. Her coalescing anger disappeared suddenly, however, when she finally realized Ranma's destination.

Looking over at the boy beside her, Akane worriedly asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Ranma nodded sharply. He pulled out his pad and wrote, "I need to do this."

Akane remained silent for the remainder of the walk. Ranma paused outside of the alley to take a deep breath, then walked into it without hesitation. He did not close his eyes, but allowed the full impact to strike him.

Akane saw Ranma tremble slightly, and moisture appear at his eyes. She bit her lip, not knowing whether there was anything she could do that would help. She sensed that Ranma was waging an internal battle, and he probably felt that he should face it alone, without support. Akane reflected on her own feelings about such matters, and how angry she had initially been on the day Ranma had torn into the hentai horde in her defense. She also thought about how Mitaka-sensei had brought her to the admission that there were times when someone should accept help. Slowly Akane reached out and looped her arm through Ranma's, placing her other hand on the same arm, leaning up against him. She willed him to feel her support.

At first memories of that night had flooded into Ranma's mind, nearly overwhelming him. He had refused to suppress the memories, trying to diminish them instead. He felt the edge of the neko-ken in his mind, and his sharpened senses picked up on Akane's concern, her scent acting as a soothing balm. When Akane took his arm he almost pulled away, wanting to win this fight by himself.

He hesitated before pulling away, as the thought came to him that he was fighting this battle in the wrong way. Directly attacking the memories wasn't the best answer. It leant them too much importance, and that would only give them greater weight. Instead he switched tactics and struggled to ignore the memories, not to suppress them but to relegate them to a minor status, inferior to more important memories.

Now he focused on Akane leaning up against him, and the friendship they had forged. He thought about the times she had held and comforted him, the training sessions in the dojo, even how they would study together as she helped him with schoolwork. He thought about shared fights, against Ryoga, Kodachi, the Golden Pair. He basked in memories of Akane's smile, Kasumi's cheerfulness, the pleasant atmosphere of the Tendo home. The darker memories brought forth by this alley were still there, like a small clawed creature in his mind, but they were on a scale that he could now deal with. He no longer feared a repetition of what happened the day before.

Ranma finally turned to Akane and gave her a smile, holding her arm even tighter. With his free hand he made the signs for "doctor" and "now," and they turned around and left the alley. Many of the people they passed smiled at the sight of the young couple walking down the sidewalk, arm in arm.

Mitaka had quite a lot to discuss with the two teenagers, what with the ice skating match, the appearance and departure of Shampoo, and Ranma's attempts to deal with the alley in which he had been attacked. She was quietly impressed with how he had returned there this afternoon, and the things he described thinking about when he did so. In fact, despite his breakdown in the alley yesterday, she was overall quite pleased with his progress, and therefore also a little worried that he still showed no signs of recovering his ability to speak.

On the other hand, Mitaka scolded Ranma for not having mentioned Shampoo to her before. She pointed out how they had already discussed the need for her to fully understand his background if she was to help him to understand and resolve all of his reactions. Despite how much else they had to cover that afternoon, she insisted on taking the time to dig out some of the other events from his past which Ranma had not yet seen fit to mention, making notes of things she wished to delve into more deeply in later sessions.

In comparison, Akane and the therapist didn't spend nearly as much time together. Ranma felt that he had barely settled down in the waiting room before the door opened again and Mitaka requested that he join them. He got up and sauntered in, taking the offered seat.

"Very well," Mitaka began, "first I would like to say that I regard your progress as more than satisfactory, Ranma-san, despite yesterday's episode. That you were able to face the situation again so soon afterward, with no more than a reasonable amount of emotional stress, speaks well of how you are healing. Of course, this is not the same as saying that you are completely healed, so try not to take it too hard when you still have occasional nightmares or distressful flashbacks. But things are certainly going in the right direction."

Ranma gave the counselor a smile and a thumbs up. Akane looked pleased for her friend.

"In fact, I think that you should cut back to sharing Tendo-san's bed only once per week. On Sunday nights, say, that being the night that you are likely to be feeling the most stress. The current school term is due to end in a month. We will reevaluate things at that time, but by then I think you will be ready to sleep by yourself full time."

Ranma gave a confident nod at these signs that his therapist thought he was coming along well, and Akane continued to look happy for him. However, on the inside both of them felt a little sad, as they had become rather accustomed to the comfort and companionship that they drew from those nights they spent together. Akane wondered if perhaps they might reclaim a little of that if they spent some time together right before bed, just talking, or writing in Ranma's case. She resolved to suggest it to Ranma and give it a try.

Mitaka had something else to say. "I've also decided to finally allow Ranma to start taking gym classes with the other boys."

Ranma looked overjoyed, and mouthed the words, "Thank you," several times.

Mitaka smiled. "I know you feel I've held off on this for much too long, but you've wanted to avoid any preferential treatment and the speculations such would arouse. You want to use the locker room, and act like, and be treated like, all of the other boys. We all know that sooner or later, you're going to get splashed in that locker room, either by accident or on purpose. I needed to feel confident that you would be able to act with restraint when that happens, and not hurt anyone seriously. I hope that you are not going to let me down in that regard."

She gave Ranma a sharp look with this last statement. He blushed, and nodded without meeting her eyes.

"Good. One more thing. I expect you're planning to go by that alley again, to reassure yourself that reminders of that sort won't make you freeze again. However, I suggest you give yourself at least a few days before doing so. In other words, don't push yourself too hard. Besides, it's more likely to have the effect you want if you wait three or four days before facing it down again."

Ranma considered this with his head slightly tilted. Then he shrugged and wrote "You're the doctor" on his pad, which he held out to Akane to read aloud. With that they said their good-byes and left.

Later on, as evening approached, Nabiki leaned against the doorjamb of Akane's bedroom. She considered the way Akane was deep in thought over two dresses, obviously trying to decide which one she was going to wear that night. Unable to resist, Nabiki drawled, "So the two of you are going out on another date tonight, eh?"

Akane's eyes flashed as she looked up, and her voice was filled with annoyance as she replied, "It is _not_ a date! We're just celebrating the fact that we beat those two stuck-up skaters from Kolkhoz High. Stop trying to read so much into it."

"Is it so hard to admit that you like him?" Nabiki asked mischievously.

Akane huffed, caught herself, then replied evenly, "Yes, I like him. He's a friend. There, I've admitted it. I, Akane Tendo, confirmed boy hater, am friends with a boy. But that does _not_ make him a_boyfriend_! Got it?"

Akane made her selection, and hung one of the dresses back in the closet. While she did so, Nabiki shrugged and nonchalantly remarked, "Yeah, I get it. My only question is ... Are you stating it so strongly in an attempt to convince me? Or to convince yourself?" With that, she turned and left the room before Akane could reply.

The frazzled youngest Tendo stared at the empty doorway where her older sister had disappeared before she could respond. Akane was sure that there was an extremely cutting response that she could have made to Nabiki's question, if only she could think of it. With a toss of her hair she spun around and returned to her preparations for her dinner with Ranma.

Akane enjoyed herself that evening, which was thankfully uninterrupted by a delusional kendoist, or anyone else for that matter. The food and company were pleasant, and it felt surprisingly good to dress up and allow Ranma to treat her like a lady. The smiles from people who assumed they were a couple didn't even bother her very much that night. Really, the evening was perfect, or would have been, if it weren't for the fact that Akane found herself coming back to Nabiki's question from time to time, wondering why it was bothering her so.

* * *

**Author's note:**

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	9. The Demon's Weakness

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 9. The Demon's Weakness**

On Monday morning when the gates of the school came into sight, Ranma and Akane paused at what they saw. Tatewaki Kuno was standing there, along with a line of fellow students, each of them a former member of the hentai horde. The boys were all holding water guns, pointing them directly toward Ranma. The two teenagers got a bad feeling concerning what was about to happen.

Ranma turned to Akane and made signs that she read as "Stay here. You don't get wet." She looked mulish for a moment, but then nodded.

Ranma sprinted toward the gate and Kuno called out, "Remember. The demon must be kept off balance. Fire in turn, first those with cold water, then the ones with hot, and continue so. This will allow us to defeat the creature, and thereby banish it."

Four guns fired at the same time. Ranma jumped and twisted, but couldn't dodge them all, feeling the familiar shift to his female body. As he landed and jumped towards his opponents, more water struck him, hot this time. He landed in front of the boys as a male. As he reached for the first of them, he changed back to female once again.

Ranma found the experience dizzying, as he was never sure from one moment to the next how much reach his hands and feet had. He made a mental note to get Akane and someone else, perhaps her father, to help him practice fighting under such conditions, in case anyone else should try the idea again. That might be important if he were up against a more serious opponent, which these boys weren't. In relatively short order, most of the guns were smashed and their wielders were lying on the ground unconscious, or wishing they were so.

A soaking wet, currently male, Ranma turned fierce eyes on Kuno. The taller boy found himself feeling suddenly nervous as he took in the look in those eyes, the more so as he could not adequately defend himself with his right arm still in a cast. A demonic grin spread across Ranma's features, and he picked up an undamaged water gun, whose reservoir proved to be filled with hot water. Ranma pounced on Kuno before the boy could make his escape, shoved the gun down the front of his pants, and proceeded to discharge the entire reservoir.

When Ranma entered the school, it appeared to the other students as if he might have fallen into the swimming pool, a minor embarrassment at worst. When Kuno entered the school, he flushed at the tittering which surrounded him, realizing that it appeared as if he had failed to reach the restroom before an accident had occurred. He added another debit to the demon's account for which he would make it pay.

During the morning classes, Ranma was observed making odd hand gestures from time to time. It was further noticed that Akane seemed to attach some meaning to them, due to smiles, frowns or other facial expressions in her reactions. Once she even pulled out an eraser and handed it to Ranma, just as if he had passed a note asking for it.

Several of her friends cornered Akane about this new behavior during lunchtime, and she was kept busy explaining about the sign language course which she and Ranma had been taking. Some of the students soon departed, satisfied by the explanation. Others were simply curious, wanting to know more. Then there were the annoying ones, the ones who tried to attach some special importance to the whole thing, as if it implied there was something indecent going on between herself and Ranma and that Akane was attempting to conceal it.

When the class departed for gym, the boys were shocked to see a grinning Ranma join them in the locker room. He handed a sheet of paper to Daisuke, at the top of which was written, "Please read this out loud." Daisuke proceeded to do so for the rest. "This is a note from Ranma. He says, I finally have permission to take gym class. One word of warning. Anyone who splashes me in here will find himself facing an _extremely_ pissed off redhead. Er, the word 'extremely' is rather heavily underlined." All of the boys turned to look warily at Ranma who met each one's gaze with clear intent. As one, they swallowed hard and turned back to their lockers somberly.

Unsurprisingly, there were no incidents that day as Ranma changed clothes before and after class, nor did anyone make a big deal of his unaccustomed presence.

* * *

It was a couple of nights later, at dinner, when completely out of the blue Nabiki asked, "So, father, what do you know about Picolet Chardin, of the La Belle France school of Martial Arts Dining?"

Soun Tendo's chopsticks snapped as his hand convulsed. "Eh, heh heh, who's that, Nabiki dear?"

Nabiki eyed the broken chopsticks with a scowl. "A boy. A boy to whom you promised the hand of one of your daughters, yet unborn, in marriage. Something about paying off the debt for a meal, I believe?"

Sweating profusely, Soun stammered, trying to figure out the best thing to say. "Um, er, well, ahh ..."

Akane's eye twitched. Kasumi paled and said, "Oh, father. You didn't?"

Fighting down the surge of anger, Akane turned to her middle sister and asked, "How do _you_ know about this, Nabiki? Has this Chardin guy come around looking for us?"

Nabiki shook her head quickly, without taking her eyes off their nervous parent. "No. It's was something Ranma said a while back. About our fathers maybe having secrets from their younger days, things they had never told us. I hired a private investigator to dig into daddy's past, looking for any time bombs that might blow up in our faces if they weren't defused." She turned to Ranma and added, a little grudgingly perhaps but sincerely, "Thanks for the idea, by the way."

Ranma shrugged, as if to say that investigating her father had been Nabiki's idea. He had merely pointed out that Soun might possess guilty knowledge of other things Genma and himself had gotten up to in the past.

All three girls turned to glare at their father in accusation. Akane spoke seethingly, "Is that all we are to you, bargaining chips?"

"You weren't born yet?" Soun offered anxiously, as though that could somehow mitigate matters.

"Just how many arranged marriages did you make for us?" Kasumi inquired in a gentle tone which somehow made her disappointment all the more obvious.

Soun was sweating even more heavily. "Er, ah ... I'm pretty sure it was just Saotome and Chardin."

"_Pretty_ sure!" Akane yelled, jumping to her feet. "Don't you _know_?"

Soun started to cry. "I can't be certain!" he wailed, knowing that the answer would only serve to increase her fury. "There were some incidents involving sake ... The memories aren't very clear ..."

Akane turned back to Nabiki and asked through clenched teeth, "Is there any way we can get out of this?"

Nabiki waved airily. "Already taken care of. After running a background check on the family, I wrote to the Chardin's and explained that I was willing to satisfy the debt if necessary. I explained the terms by which I would be willing to agree to the engagement, such as the size of the wedding I would expect, which would include invitations to heads of state from France and Japan. I sent along a prenuptial agreement as well, which would entitle me to seventy percent of everything in the event of a divorce. They'd have to mortgage their estate just to pay for the type of wedding I insisted on. Let's see ... there was a medical report, listing the numerous food allergies from which I suffer. Oh! And I also included a photograph of myself, except I 'accidentally' mixed it up with a photograph of Nakatani-san from a couple of blocks over."

"Oh my," Kasumi said from behind the hand she had raised to her mouth. "Isn't she the rather, um, exceedingly _thin_ young woman in your class? The one with the, ah, problem with her complexion?"

Nabiki looked up toward the ceiling innocently. "Yes, that's right. For some reason, she's convinced that she's fat, and is always on some diet or other. I, uh, made myself a mental promise to see if I could find her some help with her, uh, issues, in compensation for her involvement in my little mixup." She cleared her throat. "In any event, Monsieur Chardin wrote back with his apologies, that arrangements were already underway to engage him to someone else, and he included a notice that father's debt was canceled."

No one took notice as Soun slipped out of the room, hoping to escape retribution.

Akane was looking flabbergasted, but then she saw the humor in the situation. Her lips curved up and she began to chuckle. "Gee, I wonder what you would have done if you'd found out about daddy's arrangement with Saotome-san before Ranma showed up," she mused quietly. "I hate to think what plot you would have whipped up to keep poor Ranma away."

Ranma made some motions with his hands. Akane suddenly blushed, but managed to make some gestures back toward him. Kasumi hid her mouth behind her hand once more, eyes dancing, before making her own hand gestures which caused the first two to choke back laughs.

Nabiki, on the other hand, frowned, wondering what it was that they were saying. She could assume, of course, that it involved suggestions for how she might have convinced the Saotome's not to come to Nerima, but had no clue beyond that. For the first time, Nabiki wondered if, perhaps, she should have gone to the trouble of taking those sign language classes as well. It hadn't occurred to her at the time that the others were going to be able to hold private conversations right in front of her, the content of which she could only guess.

* * *

Ranma wanted to give Akane another chance to dress up that Friday, but realized that the state of his finances would not allow him to take her out to eat at a restaurant again. After giving the matter considerable thought, he approached Soun with the idea that the older man might take the whole family to a show at a kabuki theater. Although by no means as penny pinching as his old friend Genma, Soun at first showed little enthusiasm for this proposal. However, the further suggestion that such an outing might help to smooth over the lingering resentment stemming from the Chardin affair did much to convince the Tendo patriarch. In the end, he happily agreed to the idea.

Thus it was that on Friday night, the whole family left the house for an evening of entertainment wearing full traditional dress - from elaborate hairdos for the girls, to the kimono everyone was wearing, down to the zori on their feet. No one commented on the fact that during their walk to the theater, Akane's hand rested on Ranma's arm.

Ranma felt pleased with the result. It was his decided opinion that the style suited Akane's looks particularly well, and while sitting in the theater he considered the question of how he could manage to escort her to similar venues in future. Finally, and reluctantly, he concluded that family outings like this wouldn't work very often. In fact, in order to give Akane the chance to go out to the sort of places he had in mind, he was clearly going to need a little money, and that probably meant getting some sort of part time job.

A slight frown crossed the boy's features at the thought, as most of his previous employment consisted of working in fields and other rural occupations, for which there wasn't much call in Tokyo. He hoped he'd be able to find something on his own, without having to ask Nabiki for any favors. Knowing Akane's mercenary sister, accepting any help from her might end up costing him more than he could earn.

In accordance with these thoughts, while walking home from school Monday afternoon Ranma paused at an intersection but indicated to Akane that she should go on ahead. His hand gestures signaled that he wanted to stop off to see Doctor Tofu. The unusual request aroused some slight concern on Akane's part, but she did not want to intrude on what might, after all, be a private matter. So she wished him well and continued on her way, albeit with a few backward looks.

Doctor Tofu was surprised to find Ranma in his waiting room, but when asked admitted that he could spare him a few minutes between patients. He invited the young man to take a seat in his office, closed the door, and asked, "What can I do for you today, Ranma-kun? Are you doing okay? No injuries, I hope."

Ranma made the signs for "no," "I," and "okay," then flushed and pulled out his pad to write it down instead. To his surprise, Tofu made the sign for "good" followed by a series of rapid gestures which the boy couldn't begin to follow.

Ranma hurriedly made the sign for "wait" before turning to his pad and writing, "You know sign language? Couldn't follow you. Just started learning."

"Sorry if I assumed too much," Tofu said with a grin on reading this. "Yes, I learned it several years ago. I thought it would be useful in helping people who were deaf. Word got around, and now I have several patients of that sort. Which, of course, helps me to keep in practice."

Ranma nodded, as this made sense to him. Tofu continued speaking, "So if you don't need my medical attention, may I ask why you stopped by to talk?"

The young martial artist wrote carefully on his pad, his tongue protruding slightly between his teeth as he concentrated for once on his penmanship. When he handed the sheet over, Tofu read, "I'm looking around for some sort of job, to earn some spending money. I was wondering if you might have some chores that need doing around here?"

Tofu's first reaction was one of surprise, but then his features relaxed and he looked pleased. "As a matter of fact, I could use someone to do some manual labor about the place. Sweeping, washing, general tidying up. Taking care of the courtyard outside. Maybe even a little filing. How much time were you thinking of?"

Ranma shrugged, then wrote, "Couple of hours a day. After school. After workout with Akane. Not Tue, Fri - need to see Mitaka-sensei then. Maybe some time Sat afternoon too?"

Tofu accepted the piece of paper with a nod of thanks then frowned slightly. Seeing his reaction, Ranma began to worry that his suggestions sounded unreasonable. Until he'd written it out, he'd never given thought to how much of his time was already given to other commitments, things which he couldn't, or wouldn't, break.

But the doctor's frown was only the result of puzzling out the abbreviated remarks. Once he worked through them, he nodded his comprehension and they negotiated briefly over the exact times and wages. At the end, both men stood and bowed. Ranma promised to be back right after his training session with Akane, then left to go home. He explained about the job to Akane while they were in the dojo, since she might otherwise worry when he left the house after practice. Ranma informed the rest of the family of his new job that evening, over dinner.

* * *

Hiroshi took another swig from his water bottle, glancing over several heads seeking the friend from whom he needed a favor. His eyes passed over Ranma, where the silent boy was sitting on a bench changing into his gym uniform. Hiroshi gave an inaudible sigh as he thought about the fact that the best-looking girl in their class was really a guy, and what a shame it was that she, or rather he, was changing clothes right there in the room with them, yet there was nothing to see. With another sigh, his eyes continued on to where his friend Daisuke was reaching into his locker, and walked over to stand beside him.

"Hey, Dai," he said, tapping on the other boy's shoulder. "Can I borrow your algebra notes later? You know, from when sensei had me standing out in the hall?"

Daisuke turned to him with a smirk, but only replied, "Sure. Maybe next time you should try to be less obvious when you're reading manga during his lecture."

Hiroshi gave a mock growl, punched his friend lightly in the shoulder, then turned back toward his locker. Taking another drink from the bottle, he tripped over a backpack someone had left on the floor. "Crap!" he yelled, trying to catch himself. As Hiroshi landed on his hands and knees, his eyes widened as he watched his water bottle describe a perfect arc, which ended by spilling its contents down over Ranma's head.

At that precise moment Ranma was wearing only boxers, and the boys lucky enough to have lockers near his got quite an eyeful as he suddenly transformed into a buxom, topless, red-haired girl. Ranma froze for a moment before whipping a t-shirt across his chest to hide the view. He slowly turned around, and Hiroshi saw his life flash in front of his eyes.

Springing to his feet, Hiroshi ran out of the room, crying, "Waaah! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!" Ranma's glaring eyes tracked the departing figure, but he remembered his promise and did not give chase. Fighting his emotions back under his control, he marched over to a shower, turned on the hot water, and quickly changed back to male. His eyes swept the room, daring anyone to comment, and all of the boys spun back to their lockers to hastily continue preparing for the gym class.

The class was being held on the field outside. The coach announced that today they would confirm that everyone could meet minimum standards at certain exercises - sit-ups, chin-ups and the like. They would begin by having everyone pair off to do one hundred sit-ups in turns, one boy holding the other's feet and counting them off before changing places. He held his clipboard and began calling out pairs of names.

Ranma interrupted before the coach had barely begun, holding out his pad so the man could read what he'd written. "May I be paired with Hiroshi, sensei?"

The coach nodded. "Of course. Yanaka-kun, get over here! You'll be Ranma-kun's partner."

The eyes of the other boys in the class turned toward Hiroshi sympathetically. He trudged over as if there were lead weights attached to his feet. When he stopped, he nervously stuttered, "H-hello, R-Ranma. N-no hard f-feelings, right?"

Ranma's only answer was a grin which showed a lot of teeth. He dropped to his back and motioned Hiroshi to grab his ankles. Ranma went through his hundred sit-ups like a clockwork figure, not even breathing hard when he finished. They then switched places.

After Hiroshi had done about eighty sit-ups, the coach wandered over. "How many so far?" he asked Ranma.

Ranma held his hands up, extended all ten fingers, closed his fists, and then extended all ten fingers again.

"Twenty, huh?" the coach said. "Hurry up, Hiroshi. You can do better than that."

Hiroshi was staring at Ranma in disbelief, taking in the evil grin on the martial artist's face. Nonetheless, he couldn't quite bring himself to openly call Ranma a liar in front of the teacher. After another eighty, he asked nervously, "How many is that, Ranma?"

Ranma indicated that he was now up to forty. Hiroshi groaned, and struggled to continue.

Later in the locker room, Hiroshi confided to Daisuke, "Owww. Man, my stomach's so sore, I think I may throw up. I am never bringing anything to drink in here again."

Daisuke nodded sagely. "Me, neither. In fact, I don't think anyone will. I plan to be damn careful using the showers as well."

Hiroshi nodded his agreement. "I knew the curse was embarrassing to Ranma. I never realized it could be downright dangerous to me."

* * *

It was early Friday evening, shortly before dinner, and Akane was perusing the newspaper her father had set aside, seeking some sort of inspiration. She glanced through the open shoji to where Ranma was sitting on the edge of the engawa, apparently just looking at the yard and doing nothing at all. Akane wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but she was feeling just a little ... disappointed ... that apparently they wouldn't be going out to a show, or a restaurant, or anything else that night.

She told herself to stop being silly. It wasn't as if she and Ranma were _dating_ or anything. All right, so they had gone out to eat a couple of times, together. That didn't mean a thing. Those were just victory celebrations. And her father was the one who had taken them out to a show last week. That had been a family outing. She certainly didn't want Ranma thinking that he was her _boyfriend_ or anything. Absolutely not!

Out on the engawa, Ranma was stumped. He wouldn't get his first paycheck from Doctor Tofu until after work tomorrow, and the small amount of money he had left wasn't enough to take Akane any place nice enough. He had come up with and discarded other ideas, like maybe a walk in the park, or going out someplace casual, such as for ice cream or a movie.

Unfortunately, none of these ideas was quite right. The problem was that they all sounded too much like the sort of things a boy would suggest to his girlfriend. And Akane wasn't his _girlfriend_. No way! He just wanted to do things for her, give her a chance to show the non-tomboy side of her personality. He firmly ignored the small, internal whisper which asked if he was _sure_ that was all he wanted.

A burst of music came from the television set which Nabiki had just turned on. Akane looked up from the newspaper, and Ranma looked in from the engawa, to see a handsome man on the screen twirling a beautiful woman. He caught her at the waist and dipped her almost to the floor before Nabiki changed the channel to the financial report. Eyes blinked, and both Ranma and Akane returned to their earlier contemplations.

Upon turning her eyes back downward, an advertisement caught Akane's eye. In bold print it announced an offer of dancing lessons, for a small fee, starting that night and for the next two Fridays. To participate, people only had to show up with the money. Akane raised her eyebrows at the slightly amusing coincidence with what she had just seen on the television. She then shrugged dismissively, and turned the page. Dancing was something that couples did, and she and Ranma weren't a couple.

As she tried to read an article on the next page, the observation intruded on her mind that dancing was supposed to help people learn to be graceful. She snorted lightly at that thought. Her martial arts training with Ranma was doing a great deal more to teach her grace than dancing ever could; some of the kata he was teaching her now were quite exhilarating. As she tried to concentrate on the article, the thought arose that if she learned some dancing techniques, that she might be able to incorporate them into martial arts moves to make them even _more_ graceful. The idea worried at her as her eyes skimmed through the next few pages of the paper, enough so that she failed to remember any of the words that she read.

Finally Akane gave up, folded the paper closed and looked over to the boy on the engawa, speaking quietly, "Um, Ranma? Could I ask you about something?" She half hoped he hadn't heard her.

The young man looked up at the sound and turned to regard Akane with a quizzical expression on his face. On taking in the slight degree of agitation she exhibited, he rose to his feet smoothly and walked over to kneel beside her. Akane turned back to the page with the ad. "I was, er, wondering ... do you think ... if we took these, uh, classes ... maybe it would help, me at least, to move a little more, um, _smoothly_, you know, gracefully, when I'm doing martial arts?"

Ranma bit his lip, once again glad that he couldn't use his mouth to say the first stupid, insulting thing that occurred to him. Truthfully, when he had begun training Akane, the gracefulness of her movements had proven to be an inconsistent thing. It usually came down to trying too hard - when she did so, she could act like a klutz. But that had been many weeks ago. He hadn't caught Akane making that sort of mistake in quite some time. At least, not when it came to martial arts.

He was about to dismiss the whole notion, as it was highly unlikely that a few dancing lessons would be of any benefit whatsoever. However, Ranma caught himself just before doing so. He remembered the scene on the television before Nabiki changed the channel, and it suddenly occurred to him that if they did take the lessons, then it would be the most natural thing in the world to recommend that they not let those lessons go to waste. He could suggest that he and Akane go out dancing once in a while, just to keep in practice of course. He could already picture Akane wearing some clinging dress, with a touch of makeup, a hint of perfume ...

Ranma blinked rapidly, trying to dismiss the picture. This was supposed to be about her, not him, he forcefully reminded himself. He gave her a smile, and nodded, but then frowned and pointed at the fee. He made a couple of signs to indicate that he didn't have any money.

Akane sighed her understanding, but then smiled and said, "It's only a few hundred yen, Ranma. After the dinners you treated me too, paying for this is the least I can do in return. I'll be right back."

Akane rose with a look of determination on her face. She left the room and found her father in the kitchen talking with Kasumi. Standing in front of him, and with no trace of apology in her voice, Akane asked, "Father, could I have an advance on my allowance for next week?"

Soun blinked, being unaccustomed to this question from any of his daughters. Nabiki would not ask such a thing, because she paid for her extra expenses through means upon which he preferred not to dwell. Kasumi and Akane were simply much more careful not to overspend or otherwise indulge themselves unduly. Finally he inquired, "May I ask why?"

A hint of rose colored Akane's cheeks. "Ranma and I were thinking, well, to help with my martial arts, that is, to help me be a bit more graceful, that we might take some ... dancing lessons. They start tonight."

Akane was looking off to the side now, rather than at her father. Soun responded, "I'm not really sure how ... iteeee!"

Akane spun back around at the exclamation to see her father favoring one of his feet, but not in time to observe how Kasumi's heel had slammed down on that foot. Kasumi declared, "I think that's a _very_ good idea. Some dancing lessons might prove very helpful. Don't you _agree_, father?"

Soun looked at the expression in his oldest daughter's eyes, and managed to say, "Er, yes. Of course!" He left the kitchen and returned a few moments later with the requested allowance. Akane thanked him sunnily and bounced out of the room.

After Akane's departure, Kasumi rounded on her father and told him, "Honestly! I'd have thought that you would jump for joy at the idea of Akane and Ranma going out dancing together!"

Soun rubbed a hand through his hair and chuckled self consciously. "Heh heh. Um, I hadn't thought of it like that. Do you think ... was that whole bit about helping her with her martial arts just an excuse then? Was she trying to fool us?"

Kasumi smiled gently in the direction Akane had left. "I don't think it was us that she was trying to fool."

After dinner, Nabiki followed Akane up to her room and watched as her sister prepared to go out somewhere. It clearly wasn't going to be anywhere elaborate, as Akane wasn't bothering to change her clothes, but she did get out her purse and put on a slight touch of makeup.

"So, where are you and Ranma going out tonight?" Nabiki asked with a purr in her voice.

Akane shot her sister a quelling look. "Just something to help us with our martial arts, okay?"

"Oh, come on, tell!" Nabiki pleaded. "You know I'll find out anyway."

Akane huffed. "We're going to take some dancing lessons, if you really must know. But don't read anything into it!"

Nabiki stared at her younger sister for a moment. Did Akane really believe that she'd accept such a lame excuse? Nabiki thought about it some more, and a grin spread across her face.

"So," Nabiki drawled, "looking forward to being held by Ranma? Feeling his hands on you?"

Akane shrieked, "Nabiki!" There were flashes of lightning in the depths of her eyes.

Nabiki ignored the warning. "There are easier ways of holding him close, you know. _And_, you don't have to pay for them. I could suggest it to Ranma, if you like. Tell him you want him to."

This time the shriek held no words which were discernable, and the flashes in the eyes were nuclear explosions. Nabiki gulped, suddenly aware that she had pressed too far, and fled the room. She heard Akane's light footsteps right behind her.

"Aaah, Kasumi!" Nabiki cried out, as she leaped down the stairs. Kasumi didn't even have time to step out of the kitchen before Nabiki had run behind her, holding on to the back of her apron, trying to hide.

Akane slammed to a halt after running through the kitchen door. She stood there with fists clenched, chest heaving, eyes hidden behind her bangs. "Please step aside, Kasumi," she growled.

Kasumi heaved a massive sigh. "Did Nabiki say something about you and Ranma going out tonight to learn to dance?"

"Um, yeah, sorry." Nabiki's voice came from behind Kasumi, in a quavery squeak. She was much more accustomed to the boys at school being on the receiving end of these temper tantrums, while she watched from a safe distance.

Akane's voice was a grating of steel over gravel. "She needs to die for what she said."

Kasumi sighed again. "I'll deal with it, Akane."

"But ..."

"I _said_, I'll deal with it." Kasumi's voice was velvet over steel. "You have my word. Now you'd better hurry, or you'll be late."

With a last growl and menacing look for Nabiki, Akane stomped out of the room.

Kasumi turned around to regard Nabiki, who was trying an unconvincing grin. Kasumi pointed to a chair and said, "Sit."

Nabiki sat. They remained frozen in that tableau until they heard Akane and Ranma walk out the door. Nabiki then tried to say something, but Kasumi interrupted, overriding her.

"You are of course aware of all the problems Akane had with boys before Ranma showed up." It was a statement, not a question. Nabiki nodded. Of course she was aware of them. Most of them had accrued financial benefit to herself in one way or another, and she had even helped a couple of them along for that reason.

"You are also aware that Ranma, for obvious reasons, and some reasons which are probably less obvious, is skittish on the whole subject of relationships." Again Nabiki nodded, swallowing heavily.

Kasumi went on, her voice making it clear that these statements were indisputable facts. "You and I are also aware that a relationship is forming between Akane and Ranma. However, neither of them is ready to admit it. You will _cease_ your attempts to force Akane into admitting it. If you don't, either Akane or Ranma might feel forced to do something to prove you wrong, and I would be ... quite disappointed ... if that were to occur. Am I making myself clear?"

Nabiki nodded nervously.

"Good." Kasumi's voice held grim satisfaction. "So please understand that if you continue in this behavior, I might decide that it's time for another _lesson_."

Nabiki paled, her mind shying from the last time Kasumi had used that word in that tone of voice. Some of the things it had presaged had been obvious in retrospect, such as Nabiki's laundry going unwashed or her portion at the dinner table being almost inedible. But Nabiki had never been able to track down the reasons why all of her little schemes and projects had suddenly been losing money by the bucketful. No doubt it had been at least partially due to Kasumi calling in favors from people in the neighborhood, but that didn't begin to explain everything. She shuddered at the thought of going through another such experience.

"I promise, oneechan, I'll behave," Nabiki said quietly. "I'll leave them alone from now on."

Kasumi nodded sharply, then smiled her cheerful smile. "Thank you, little sister. I'm very glad to hear it."

Nabiki made a fast exit and shut herself up in her room. As she lay on her bed, Nabiki pondered how it was that sweet and gentle Kasumi was the only person who was ever able to make her just _crumble_ like that.

Meanwhile, in a room across town, Ranma was holding one of Akane's hands, while his other hand was on her waist. He was trying to follow the teacher's instructions, but his feet didn't seem to be cooperating. He felt mildly annoyed that Akane seemed to be picking this up faster than he was. Of course, it didn't help that he knew he was blushing every time he put his hands on her. This was mitigated only slightly by the fact that Akane was blushing nearly as much.

Akane winced as her foot was stepped on again. She looked at Ranma with a touch of exasperation, but her mind recalled a memory of the ice skating match. "Listen, Ranma," she suggested, "just pretend that it's Martial Arts Dancing. Okay?"

Ranma gave her a bewildered look, but then it changed to a cocky grin and he nodded. It did not escape Akane's attention that her partner seemed to improve markedly after that point. She felt a sense of contentment wash through her, and Akane settled down to enjoy herself.

* * *

The girls' gym class was doing gymnastics, and Akane was working out on the balance beam. A boy in her homeroom, one Hikaru Gosunkugi, was kneeling at a window snapping photographs of her workout. He got a nice photograph of her midriff at one point when she was doing a handstand and her shirt rode up.

A trio of boys came up behind Hikaru - Hiroshi, Daisuke and a third boy from their class. Daisuke guessed what he was doing and inquired with a raised eyebrow, "So, shooting pix of Akane again, huh? Aren't you worried about what'll happen if she or Ranma catch you?"

Hiroshi grinned. "Make me copies of 'em, okay? All of 'em!"

Barely had the words left his mouth when a heavy hand landed on Hiroshi's shoulder. He turned his face slowly to look into Ranma's eyes. Ranma was very clearly _not_ smiling. Hiroshi gulped, wondering just what kami he had managed to piss off in a previous life.

Ranma held out his hand toward Hikaru, who wisely ejected the film from his camera and handed it over. Ranma ostentatiously pulled the film from the canister, exposing it to the sunlight, before tearing it up. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and the boys scattered.

Ranma continued walking toward the office on his current errand, while shaking his head over the behavior of his classmates. It wasn't as if he didn't feel ... urges ... himself. And he was ready enough to admit that Akane was very pretty. But to treat a girl as if that was all there was to her, it was just something he couldn't understand. Even before the attack on him, before his curse, Ranma had known that honor dictated one did not act like that. Although truthfully, shyness and lack of experience with girls would have held him back as much as honor from such behavior. He was so deep in these contemplations that he didn't notice Hikaru timidly shadowing him, face fixed in a dark scowl.

Ranma passed by Kuno just before he entered the door of the school, and gave the upperclassman a cheery wave. Kuno snarled back, "Foul demon! When I am healed at last, I shall see you banished from this honorable institution!"

Hikaru, still smarting over the destruction of his film, and upset over how Ranma seemed to stand between him and Akane, approached Kuno. In his own way Hikaru was almost as delusional as Kuno himself. He was convinced that destiny would ensure that Akane must finally notice his constant devotion and fall deeply and madly in love with him. If only Ranma didn't keep interfering. It occurred to Hikaru that an alliance with Kuno against a common foe might prove useful.

Standing just a little behind the kendoist, who was still glaring at the door of the school, Hikaru stated in his quavery voice, "They say that every demon has a weak spot. If you find it, then the demon is easily defeated."

Kuno turned to look down his nose at the younger student behind him, noting the unkempt hair and dark circles under the boy's eyes. "What are you?" he asked disdainfully.

"Hikaru Gosunkugi," the young man introduced himself. "First year student, group F. You wouldn't know me. No one does. But if I were to tell you Ranma's weak spot, then you could strike him there and drive him away."

Kuno reached out and grabbed the front of Hikaru's shirt, filled with indignity that anyone would suggest that he would strike at an opponent through a point of weakness. But then he paused as he remembered that the opponent in question was a demon. Was there any dishonor in seizing whatever advantage presented itself, when your enemy wasn't even human? Kuno nodded decisively.

Hikaru nearly had time to work himself into a gibbering fit, as the hand wrapped in his shirt held his toes dangling above the ground. But Kuno spoke at last. "Very well, tell me of this Ranma's weak spot."

Choking out words past the collar digging into his neck, Hikaru answered, "But ... but ... I don't know what it is yet!"

Kuno scowled menacingly. "Then you will have to find it and soon, little man! Inform me as soon as you have discovered it." He thrust the boy away, causing Hikaru to stumble and land on his rear. Kuno strode off, leaving Hikaru to wonder if he were better or worse off than before.

The next week was not one of the better weeks in Hikaru Gosunkugi's life. He tried talking to various people who knew Ranma, to see if they could, or would, divulge the martial artist's weak spot. They were all willing to talk about Ranma, his speed, his strength, his love of food. But whenever Hikaru turned the conversation around to weaknesses, they found they had other places they needed to be. Unfortunately, the only one who seemed at all inclined to help was Nabiki, and the fee she requested for doing so was out of his reach.

He also tried following Ranma around, taking photographs of the boy, or girl, at unexpected times. He hoped that by studying these, he could glean some clue as to his classmate's weakness. Yet as it turned out, Ranma disapproved as strongly of having his photograph taken, however surreptitiously, as he did of someone taking photographs of Akane without her knowledge. After Ranma smashed the second camera, Hikaru decided to settle for simple observation instead. The destroyed cameras seemed to indicate that Ranma was aware of his presence, but the martial artist didn't seem to feel more than annoyed by the surveillance so long as Hikaru wasn't taking pictures.

Hikaru wasn't too happy to have so little information when he met with Kuno in the kendo training hall at the school, but he did have an alternative plan in mind. He gave a nervous chirp on entering to see Kuno swinging a bokken with his left hand, the right arm still resting in a sling. He clutched the box in his hand more tightly.

Kuno imperiously demanded, "Report, peasant."

Hikaru stammered, "Er, I-I h-haven't f-found anything yet, s-senpai, but ..."

At that moment Ranma walked through the door, taking notice of the other two curiously. Kuno strode over, grating, "How dare you set foot in this sacred place, demon!"

Ranma pointed at Hikaru, who took advantage of the distraction to fling the contents of the box over Ranma. Coincidentally, this meant that they landed all over Kuno as well.

Kuno looked down at the snakes, toads, spiders, centipedes, lizards and other vermin which now decorated his gi and hakama. His face froze in a rictus of shock as he collapsed to the floor, and lay there twitching. He didn't make a sound.

Ranma regarded the similar creatures adorning his body, then sighed and started picking them off one by one. Hikaru nervously asked, "Aren't you scared of those things?" Ranma shook his head.

Kuno bounced to his feet. "Liar! Even Tatewaki Kuno is afraid of such vermin! Yet you claim that you do not fear them?"

Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote something, which he handed to Kuno. Hikaru looked around the taller boy's side and they both read, "Reminds me of dinner. Spend ten years on the road, not knowing when you'll eat next, and you won't stay afraid of these."

As a matter of simple fact, Kuno despised the demon before him. From his point of view, it was necessary to remove the creature in order to save Akane Tendo from its clutches. Even so he found that he was able to feel a twinge of sympathy on reading these words, especially as he looked at the foul things creeping or slithering across the floor. Manfully he pushed such feelings aside, telling himself that such food was appropriate for a demon.

Kuno pointed his bokken at Ranma. "Mark my words, Saotome. I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall discover your weakness. When I have done so, I shall banish you from this realm for all time!"

Ranma merely smirked at him, then turned around and walked out the door. Kuno turned to Hikaru and declared, "You must redouble your efforts to find his weak spot, minion! Leave no stone unturned!"

At that very moment Ranma tore back into the room, his face a mask of terror. He ran across right in front of Kuno, and left the room through the opposite side. This was quite a feat, as there was no door in that wall, or at least there had not been one until Ranma's exit.

"Saotome was scared!" Kuno stated needlessly. He hurried to the door through which Ranma had just come, to see if he could find what had terrified his enemy. Although he and Hikaru looked over the area carefully, they found nothing frightening, only a tree, two bushes, a discarded hockey stick, and a cat licking its front paw. Angry at their failure to discover Ranma's weakness, Kuno stormed back into the training hall, while Hikaru wisely crept off unheeded.

The next day Hikaru was hanging around near the Tendo's front gate when he saw Akane's oldest sister walking in, holding some sort of pet carrier. He crept closer to the gate, and heard Akane's voice on the other side, greeting her sister.

"Hello oneechan! What do you have there?"

Kasumi's cheerful tones answered, "This is Hanachiyo. A friend asked me to take care of her."

Akane replied, "Hanachiyo?" There was a pause, then Akane continued in a tone which indicated that something was very wrong. "Kasumi, that's a cat."

"Yes, Akane, she's my friend's pet."

"But Ranma ..."

There was a sudden gasp. "Oh my! I completely forgot about Ranma when I said I'd take care of Hanachiyo. How in the world ...? I don't believe that I forgot! What am I going to do now? Do you suppose that if I keep her in my room and don't let her out of the carrier, that he wouldn't mind too much?"

Akane's voice was dubious. "Well, I suppose so, especially if he never sees her or even knows that she's there. You'll need to be careful though. He saw a cat at school yesterday and it made him have a bad nightmare about the attack again."

"Of course." Kasumi's voice sounded as if she were scolding herself. "Oh, the poor boy. Goodness, I'm not accustomed to doing something so foolish. Will you go on ahead of me to my room, and make sure that Ranma isn't anywhere that he'll see?"

The two voices departed and Hikaru, rubbing his hands gleefully, departed as well.

* * *

A couple of days later, after the dismissal bell rang, Akane stood beside Ranma at his locker as he prepared to go home. Other students on cleanup duty were walking by with brooms. When Ranma opened his locker, he saw a piece of paper lying on top of his shoes and pulled it out. His eyebrows arched higher and higher as he quickly scanned over the words, then held it out to Akane with a bemused expression.

Akane read, "Ranma, help me! Terrible villains are holding me hostage in the gym! Sincerely, Akane."

Akane exclaimed, "What the ...!" Ranma shrugged to indicate he had no better idea than her what this was about. Curiosity aroused, he turned around and headed back toward the gym.

When they stepped through the large double doors, the two teenagers saw that the basketball team was preparing for practice, and there was someone on the stage in a girls' school uniform with rope tied around her torso. She immediately yelled out, "Oh Ranma! I'm so happy! You've come to rescue me!" When Ranma simply stood there looking bewildered, this person added, "Don't you know who I am? It's me! Akane!"

Ranma turned to look quizzically at Akane standing beside him. She, however, did not waste time on looking confused - she was already beyond upset. Leaving Ranma, Akane stormed up onto the stage, where she was finally able to recognize the person as Hikaru Gosunkugi, one of the boys in their homeroom. Akane grabbed him by the collar of the blouse he wore, demanding, "_What_ ... do you think ... you are _doing_?"

At first Hikaru was unable to speak, so overcome with emotion was he by the fact that Akane Tendo had not only spoken to him, but she was holding him close, her face near his. Once Ranma joined them on the stage, he managed to get a grip on himself, then gave an evil laugh. He announced, "You have fallen into my trap, Saotome!"

Ranma and Akane were both looking at their fellow student like he was nuts. Hikaru made a chopping motion with his hand and Kuno, who was standing backstage and only had an imperfect view of where they were all standing, pulled a lever. A trapdoor fell open in the stage floor.

As Ranma and Akane felt the floor begin to give way under their feet, they both sprang away. Unfortunately Akane didn't react quite as quickly, and her jump lacked the power to get her beyond the edge of the hole. Instead she landed lightly on the floor below, while Ranma looked over the edge to where she was standing in the square of light coming through the hole. Hikaru was lying on the floor beside her. The idiot had foolishly been standing on the trap door himself, and did not land anywhere near as lightly.

As Akane gathered her legs underneath her to jump back up through the hole to rejoin Ranma, the trap door swung closed with a thump. Ranma heard a voice from backstage laugh and proclaim, "I have you now, foul demon!" It only took a moment to identify the voice as Kuno's, and he turned toward it with a frown, but did nothing immediately as he wondered whether he should be doing something to help Akane first.

There was a bit of dim light coming from ventilation grills at the front of the stage, and Akane took a moment to direct a furious glare upon the boy lying at her feet, but decided to delay pounding him into paste. She looked around for some sort of exit, and the first thing to capture her attention was that the room was filled with cats. It didn't take a huge leap of logic to guess that Hikaru had somehow discovered Ranma's fear of cats, and had planned this as a deliberate attack on Ranma through his phobia.

With an immense effort, Akane held back from kicking Hikaru across the room, although she swore retribution would come later. She yelled up through the closed trap door, "Ranma! I'm all right! Whatever you do, don't come down here! The place is full of cats!" Hoping that he heard her, Akane took another look around. She spotted a door which was obviously the exit. Akane yelled once more, "I see a door! I should be out in a minute!" She walked over, grabbed the knob, and flung the door open.

Ranma heard and understood Akane's yells, so remained where he was, waiting for her. He eyed Kuno narrowly as the taller boy emerged from backstage. Kuno in turn stared at Ranma in surprise before shouting, "Demon! How did you avoid the trap?"

Basketball practice still had not begun. The players and coach were too busy watching events on the stage in fascination.

Ranma was contemplating taking some violent action against Kuno, despite the cast on the boy's arm. This train of thought was derailed when a piercing scream came from below the stage, and Ranma promptly forgot everything Akane had said in panic over her safety. The echoes of the scream hadn't faded before Ranma's foot descended like a battering ram on the trap door, smashing a huge hole in it, through which he immediately dropped.

The direction in which he was facing happened to place Akane right in front of him, and Ranma immediately ran over and placed his hands on the shoulders of the frozen, shivering girl. He looked her over quickly, but could see nothing immediately wrong. Her eyes were stretched enormously wide, and she managed through chattering teeth to whisper, "R-Ranma. B-behind you."

Ranma turned around and immediately saw the huge tiger which had flowed into the room, apparently through the door behind it which was now standing open. He felt something bump into his feet and looked down to see Hikaru, who had backed away from the tiger crab-like on all four limbs. Unfortunately, Ranma also saw something else. A couple of dozen cats, as terrified of the tiger as the humans, were clustering around Ranma's legs. He released an uncontrolled whimper of horror.

The tiger was neither hungry nor particularly anxious, and was taking the time to examine its surroundings. It could smell the fear of possible prey nearby, but had not yet made up its mind whether to go to the trouble of attacking. The humans watched as it swiveled its head back and forth.

Ranma was fighting a losing battle with his fear of the cats. He was unable to move, with one arm around Akane who had her face pressed into his side, and with Hikaru and a collection of house cats pressing equally against his legs. Feeling his humanity unraveling away, Ranma grasped after the painful memories of the attack he had suffered, hoping to gain at least partial control over the neko-ken. This proved to be too little, too late, although it had the effect of allowing a very small vestige of human awareness to remain.

A sudden, deep, furious yowl split the air, and echoed throughout the stage and gymnasium, where it made Kuno and the members of the basketball team shiver uncontrollably. Akane pulled back and stared at Ranma, in shock that she was once again hearing a roar coming from his mouth. The tiger's head sprang up, as it suddenly sensed the nearby presence of another predator. A wild aura sprang up around Ranma, filling the small room below the stage, and a shimmer of ghostly claws appeared at his fingertips.

The tiger, like most animals, was sensitive to emanations from beyond the physical. As soon as it became aware of what it faced, its instincts did an instant calculation, then communicated a decision to the rest of the brain. The tiger turned and ran for its life, back through the door into the other room in which it had been locked, where it promptly tore down the flimsy door on the other side of that room and kept running.

The smaller cats, as adept at evaluating danger as their larger cousin, were right on its tail. In his feral state of mind, Ranma chose to give chase to these creatures, leaving Akane and Hikaru behind. Akane left Hikaru to fend for himself and chased after Ranma, wondering what she could do to help him.

Up on the stage, Kuno suddenly found himself facing his sister's tiger, which he had borrowed for this endeavor, as it charged straight at him. It ran past, stopped, and leaned against his back, as if trying to hide from something. A herd of cats then flowed over them, leaving several scratches in their wake. One cat stopped on top of Kuno's head, digging its claws into his hair for purchase.

Out in the gymnasium, the players took one look at the tiger, and the cats streaming toward them, and decided that this was a little too much. As they all departed the gym in haste, the coach called out the practice was postponed until later.

Up on the stage, Kuno saw Saotome stalking toward him on all fours, apparently in full demonic mode. He swallowed hard, remembering the threat the demon had once made, and held his bokken in a low guard position. He began to wonder if perhaps this idea hadn't been something of a mistake.

Ranma moved slowly toward Kuno, identifying him as an enemy, some memory remaining to him that the tall boy had played a part in the current events. The cat personality sneered at the useless weapon held in its opponent's left hand. He reached out a paw and shredded it into wood shavings. He then began to contemplate the degree to which he wished to shred his prey, while the tiny portion of humanity still awake in him tried to pull back from any such action.

As Akane passed through the room in which the tiger had been kept, a bag had caught her eye and for some reason she paused momentarily to investigate. She immediately realized that it was catnip and, although she saw no reason for it to be there at that moment, it came to her that it might be useful in bringing Ranma under control. Thus she picked it up, and continued her chase. As a matter of fact, the bag had been left there by Hikaru, who had used it to help gather the horde of cats he had put under the stage.

Akane emerged on the stage to see a white and shaking Kuno standing there, the tiger crouched behind him, and a piece of wood in Kuno's grip which apparently used to be the hilt of a bokken. Ranma was on all fours in front of them, apparently contemplating whether to attack.

Some additional numbers added up in Akane's head, as she realized that Hikaru had not been alone in setting this up. She called out, "Kuno! Did you have a hand in this?"

Despite his current state of concern, which was requiring him to clutch his groin muscles tightly to avoid an extremely embarrassing accident, Kuno managed to answer, "The demon must be banished from this institution, and its power over you broken!"

Akane growled. "Ranma is _human_, you moron! And he's my friend! Now listen. If you will _swear_ to me that you will stop persecuting him, then I'll call him off!"

"But Akane-kun, my fairest, ..."

"I'm not yours, you jackass! And I never will be!" Akane was seething. "You'd better hurry up and decide! I don't think Ranma's going to wait much longer."

Kuno looked at the creature in front of him, unwilling to accept that it should be permitted to remain, or to keep Akane under its thrall. On the other hand, he must survive if he were eventually to deal with it. An oath sworn under duress had no force, did it?

"Very well!" Kuno called out. "I agree!"

Akane pulled out one of the packages of catnip and crushed it, releasing a pungent fragrance. "Ranma! Come see what I have!"

Ranma had previously turned to look at Akane when she had been speaking to Kuno, identifying her on levels which went right down to the instinctual. Now his nose lifted and sniffed at the air. Eyes glazing slightly, he began to move slowly in Akane's direction.

She began backing toward the gym doors. She spoke loudly, but without yelling. "Kuno, as soon as I have him out of here, I suggest you leave in a different direction."

Ranma had almost reached Akane when she arrived at the door and opened it. In a sudden motion, Akane threw the bag out into the schoolyard, and Ranma leaped after it. He managed to pounce on the bag in midair, tearing it open and wallowing happily in its contents as they fell to the ground.

Several students out on the grounds witnessed this event, but were puzzled, not understanding what they were seeing. Ranma rolled around in the catnip, tossing packages into the air, rubbing them on his face. The small spark of human awareness present observed his actions, but was too incomplete to feel any embarrassment over engaging in this behavior in front of his fellow students.

Glancing back inside, Akane saw that Kuno had disappeared, and so turned her attention to the problem of how to bring Ranma out of the neko-ken. She decided to try Nabiki's solution, and lure him to someplace where she could get some water to splash him. Akane slowly walked toward the boy, wondering if it was truly safe to approach.

The cat personality which was currently dominant looked up from a drugged haze to see Akane walking toward it. It recognized Akane as being a female of its own species, however mysterious it was for that to be the case. A female it further regarded as beautiful. Indeed, the depths of Ranma's brain were sending the message to the cat that Akane was the single most important person in the world to him. The thread of humanity which was present felt happy as he looked upon her face.

The cat decided to express its approval of Akane's presence. It leaped toward her, wanting to rub against her legs, to purr its satisfaction, perhaps even to be petted.

Akane saw Ranma, fully in the grip of the neko-ken, jumping through the air toward her. Students around the yard cried, "Watch out, Akane!" She froze, wondering if she were about to feel invisible claws tearing at her skin. For a moment, it felt as though her heart stopped beating in her chest.

So unprepared was she for Ranma's actual intention, that when he landed at her feet and pressed against her legs, Akane fell right over, sitting hard on the ground. Not expecting this sudden development, Ranma fell over on top of her, lying across her lap. It only took a moment for the cat to decide that this was good too, and curled up as it considered taking a nap.

Akane started breathing again, as it became apparent that Ranma was not going to hurt her after all. She inquisitively said, "Ranma ...?" but then stopped, not knowing what it was she wanted to ask. Ranma turned his face up to look into her eyes.

The few coherent thoughts which remained of Ranma's humanity looked across the centimeters into the face of the only girl for whom he had ever cared. She who had become the truest friend he had ever had. The girl for whom he secretly longed, a fact hidden even from himself, the more so as he could not believe himself worthy of her. The cat felt the surge of all of these emotions, but was not inclined to make things as complicated as a human would, and decided to express its feelings according to its best understanding of how humans dealt with such matters.

Ranma the human felt the cat reach this decision, but there was too little of him present to form any objection. In fact, the little that was there didn't have the wit to realize that there might be good reasons not to carry through on this intention.

Akane watched, startled, as Ranma's face suddenly closed the distance between them. Before she realized what was going on, Ranma's lips were pressed firmly against hers. ‹Ranma's kissing me!› The thought crashed through her mind like an enormous explosion of thunder, obliterating all further ability to think. Akane felt her own lips respond by instinct, pressing back against Ranma's. For a brief moment, nothing else existed except the two of them and the kiss.

But only for a moment. Reality insisted on reasserting itself. The thought forced itself into Akane's mind that Ranma was kissing her while in some weird mental state where he thought he was a cat, instead of deciding to do so when his mind was fully human. No, wait! That didn't come out right. Wasn't the real problem that the idiot was kissing her in the schoolyard where everyone could see? No, that wasn't quite it either.

Ranma was kissing her. Period! Right! _That_ was the problem!

Akane shoved Ranma off of her lap, screaming, "What are you _doing_, baka?!" She was blushing furiously, trying not to meet any of the two dozen or so pairs of shocked eyes staring at her. Mortified, not knowing how she could face anyone, Akane turned and ran for home.

Nabiki walked up with a pail of ice cold water, figuring that it had worked the last time. She dumped the contents over his head, and onna-Ranma jumped up, looking around wildly, evidently confused. He was also shivering with cold.

Nabiki gave him a scathing look. "You are in _soooo_ much trouble." She shook her head, wondering if her recent promise to Kasumi covered this interesting turn of events as well and deciding reluctantly that it probably did. With a deep, heartfelt sigh, she turned and walked off, leaving the bewildered and dripping girl standing there. Ranma was totally at a loss to understand what had just happened, and why he appeared to be in trouble. Again.

* * *

**Author's note:**

In the next chapter summer break finally arrives. We will briefly encounter both Ryoga and Genma again (separately, not together).

On another note, my web site recently passed the ten thousand hit mark.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	10. At the Beach

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 10. At the Beach**

Akane ran through the gate and into her house, pausing only long enough to kick her shoes off just inside the door. Kasumi, making some tea for herself in the kitchen, heard the door slam and called out. Akane ignored the querying note in her sister's voice, running up the stairs and into the safety of her room, where she shut the door firmly behind her. Stumbling across the floor, she tossed her bag toward the desk, without even looking to see if it landed there. Akane flopped down on her bed, sitting with her back against the wall, staring in front of her without seeing anything, doing her best to keep her mind absolutely blank.

Unfortunately, no amount of determination to shut down all thought could erase the memories of what had happened, nor prevent her mind's eye from replaying those events. Akane blushed, her breathing becoming shallower and more rapid, as she flashed back to Ranma lying on her lap and then the sudden pressure of his lips on hers. All while many of their classmates and other students watched.

‹Why? Why did he kiss me?› she finally asked herself, unable to bear the mental silence any longer. ‹He ... he wasn't even himself. He thought he was some sort of cat. All those people saw him kiss me. By tomorrow morning, everyone at school will know about it. They'll all think we ... oh God, why did he do it?›

‹I'll ... I'll _pound_ him!› Akane told herself. ‹As soon as he gets home, I'll break every bone in his body!›

Akane paused, realizing that she was starting to hyperventilate, and struggled to get herself under control. Over the course of several weeks, she and Mitaka-sensei had shared many discussions concerning her tendency to react to confusion with anger. Unhappily, she realized she was doing it again. With more than a little regret, Akane went through a mental exercise which she had learned from the therapist, releasing the anger so that she could think rationally. She couldn't help but think that it was a lot easier to simply thrash the source of her confusion.

It took a while to calm down, but eventually Akane reached an uneasy mental balance. ‹All right. Now why did Ranma kiss me? He thought he was a cat. Did he know what he was doing? Did he think I was another cat?› After a moment, she rejected that idea. ‹Does he ... does Ranma maybe really want to kiss me, deep down, and his human mind wasn't there to stop him? Or maybe he's been planning to try but hasn't worked up the nerve? We have gone out together a couple of times, but those weren't dates. We were just ... out together. As friends. Could ... Ranma think that they were really dates after all?›

Akane sighed. ‹I bet he didn't even know what he was doing. Maybe he was drunk on the catnip. Can catnip make humans drunk? He acted like it anyway. I wonder if Ranma himself knows the answers to these questions. Probably not.›

‹What answers do I want to hear?›

Akane picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest, drawing her knees up against it. Before Ranma had arrived in Nerima, the word "date" was associated with boys trying to beat her up. The concepts of "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" were something her friends chatted and giggled about, but which had no relevance to Akane's own life. The only boys who had shown an interest in her were the hormonally crazed members of the horde, who had no concern whatsoever for what she wanted. Mitaka-sensei had helped Akane to recognize the scars they had left, was helping her to heal those scars, but Akane still found such thoughts a bit frightening.

Finally, very reluctantly, Akane asked herself the question she had been avoiding the most. ‹Why did I kiss him back?›

Was it just instinct? A natural reaction of her body? The kiss had felt ... good, during those few moments before any other thoughts intruded. Was there some part of her that _wanted_ to kiss Ranma? She couldn't deny that she had imagined doing so, just once or twice ... well, maybe a bit more than that. While lying in bed at night, trying to get to sleep. But she had just been letting her imagination run a little wild, right? She hadn't really meant to do so for real! Sure he was handsome, and she liked him, but ... he wasn't her boyfriend! He wasn't!

Distantly, the distressed girl heard Kasumi call out a greeting of, "Welcome home, Ranma-kun!" He must be aware of his humanity once more, Akane thought, and then wondered how much he remembered of what he had done, if anything. Part of her wanted to confront him immediately, to demand to know why he had done what he had done. Another part was scared to death of where such a confrontation might lead. Frozen by indecision, Akane simply sat on her bed, hugging her pillow, unmoving.

* * *

Ranma stared after Nabiki's retreating form, puzzling over her words, wondering why he was supposed to be in trouble. He had no idea why he was freezing cold, dripping wet, female - naturally - and unaccountably outside. Trying to recall what had happened, he found nothing until his thoughts returned to the tiger under the stage. At that point he realized that he must have gone into the neko-ken.

‹Oh man! I didn't need this,› he thought to himself. ‹I hope I didn't hurt anyone. Not again.›

He worried over this possibility while concentrating on the scene which had taken place under the stage. Ranma remembered that when he had felt himself losing his battle with the cat in his mind, he had attempted to make use of his partial mastery of the state to retain some degree of control. It apparently hadn't worked ... or had it? As he thought about it, some vague memories surfaced. He seemed more spectator than participant in those memories, but he could in fact remember a few things. He had destroyed Kuno's bokken, and had considered leaving more direct marks of his displeasure on the boy's hide.

Ranma tried, with little success, to ignore the students who were staring at him. People always stared, and no doubt always would, whenever his curse turned him into a girl. Mitaka-sensei claimed that he would eventually grow accustomed to it, and he was trying, but right now he was too busy trying to chase down elusive memories and didn't need the distraction. He jumped up to the gym roof, and from there to the roof of the school proper, in order to get away from the stares and give himself time and space in which to think.

Now what had happened next? Ah yes, Akane had shown up, and said something to Kuno. Ranma shook his head, unable to bring up a memory of the words she had spoken. Then had come a tantalizing aroma, and he had followed Akane to the door. Something had made him forget Kuno. Something to do with that scent? He remembered playing with something which had made him dizzy with pleasure. What had it been?

Then Akane again. Ranma blushed as he remembered the catlike desire to rub against her legs and be petted. He could remember looking into Akane's eyes, from an impossibly close distance. A memory of emotions rose up, like bubbles from the depths, Akane's beauty, a longing for her, a desire to express his feelings, the sensation of her lips pressed against his ...

‹Oh kuso! Akane's gonna kill me!› Nabiki's warning that he was in trouble suddenly seemed a terrible understatement.

Ranma jumped down from the roof, but then hesitated. Part of him seriously considered running away. He had taken something from Akane to which he was not entitled. Performed an act which should only have been shared by mutual consent, consent which she had not given and he had not sought. That he was not precisely himself at the time made it no less dishonorable. But to run off would be the act of a coward, piling dishonor atop dishonor. With a heavy heart, Ranma turned and slowly walked toward the Tendo home.

When he entered the house, Kasumi greeted him cheerfully enough but paused immediately after, taking notice of his woebegone expression. She added this to Akane's explosive entry a short time ago and came up with a sum that spelled trouble. "Did something happen between you and Akane?" she asked quietly. Ranma nodded unhappily.

Kasumi remained outwardly serene although she winced internally at the naked emotion in his eyes. She told him, "Akane came home a little while ago, and went straight upstairs. She's in her room if you want to talk to her." Ranma gave a ghost of a smile, nodded again, and turned toward the stairs.

Ranma knocked softly on Akane's door. For a minute or two there was no answer, then a quiet voice said, "Come in." Was it his imagination, or was there a trace of fear in that voice? God, he hoped not! The idea that Akane might be afraid of what he would try to do to her ... the thought alone made his heart feel like it was being ripped in half.

Ranma pushed the door open and went in, head hanging, feeling as though he were walking toward some terrible doom. He stopped a couple of meters from Akane's bed where, still not looking at her, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head until it was nearly level with her mattress.

Akane stared at him, trying to puzzle out what was going through his head. Whatever reaction she had been expecting from Ranma, this wasn't it. "Um, Ranma?" she asked tentatively. "What are you doing?"

He pulled out his pad and wrote on it. Tearing off the sheet, he handed it to her without ever looking up. Akane read, "I forced myself on you. I'm lower than scum. I'll pay any penalty you demand. Or leave forever if you want."

Akane sucked in her breath. It seemed that Ranma was seeing things from a slightly different perspective than hers. One question at least appeared to be answered. "So, then, you remember what happened?"

Ranma wrote, and handed her another sheet. "Sort of. Not very well. Tried to control the neko-ken when it started, but failed. Did have a very slight awareness. Know I kissed you against your will."

Had it been against her will? She certainly hadn't asked for it or expected it. She was very unhappy about the spectators and the rumors they were likely to spread. However, what really bothered Akane was the state of confusion into which it had thrown her. Not so much because he had kissed her, although that was cause enough. No, what truly troubled her was the crystal clear memory of pressing her lips back against his, and that it had felt, well, pretty darn good, at least until good sense had reasserted itself.

Now, for all the work their therapist had done with her, and even given that she had calmed down enough to think rationally, Akane really thought that Ranma deserved _some_ retribution for ambushing her like that. On the other hand, she was deeply disturbed by the obvious self-loathing he was expressing. It sounded as if he were tearing himself up inside. ‹It's almost as if ... he couldn't be ... imagining himself as some sort of _molester_. Could he?›

Picking over her words slowly and carefully, she finally answered him, "You know, Ranma, I don't think it's right to say that you forced yourself on me. You surprised me, certainly. You also shouldn't have done it. But if you had really tried to force me, you'd have a black eye or two right now." She paused briefly before adding, "At least."

Hearing the evident sincerity in her voice, Ranma finally looked up. He searched Akane's face, seeking reassurance, while he considered her words. At last he nodded and gave her a weak grin. He wrote, "Guess you're right. Still feel bad though. Want to give me a black eye anyway? Might make me feel better."

Akane snorted when she read this. "What makes you think I'd let you off that easily?" Ranma started looking scared again on hearing this, and Akane's eyes narrowed. "Now I want an answer from you," she went on. "Why did you kiss me?" She kept her features stern, praying that he wouldn't think to ask her why she had kissed him back.

Ranma looked down again while he gathered his thoughts. He started writing slowly. "I don't remember very much. My mind was mostly a cat at the time. A cat who didn't think the same way I would."

Akane tried to swallow a huge lump in her throat as she responded, "So you're saying your cat mind wanted to kiss me, but your human mind didn't? I suppose you'd have kissed any girl whose lap you happened to be lying in at that moment?"

Ranma, failing to hear the underlying pain in her voice, almost allowed this to stand, thinking it was safer than the truth. But he owed Akane too much to lie to her about something so important. Hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, he wrote some more.

"Said I don't remember much. But I do remember some. I wouldn't have kissed just anybody.

"My cat mind knew you're a friend. Knew that I care about you. Knew you're very important to me, more than anyone else." Ranma was squirming as he wrote this, hoping she wouldn't take it wrong.

"It wanted to show you. If I told you I knew why the cat decided a kiss was the best way to show you, I'd be lying.

"As a human, I know I shouldn't take a liberty like that. There wasn't enough of the human me present to try to stop the cat.

"I'm really, really, really sorry. I know I shouldn't have done something like that."

Akane gave a small, relieved sigh on reading all of this. If she could believe what he'd written, and she thought she could, it didn't sound like Ranma had been secretly wanting to kiss her. Which avoided a set of complications she didn't want to contemplate. She was definitely glad to have that cleared up and all, but ... then there was that bit about how important she was to him. Of course, that had to mean "important" as a friend. Because there was nothing else it could possibly mean.

Akane took another, deeper breath and let it out slowly, nodding her head in something approaching satisfaction. More relaxed now, she said, "Very well. I forgive you for what happened. But I'm going to ask Nabiki to make an announcement to the entire school, explaining a little bit about the neko-ken, how you weren't exactly aware of what you were doing. I expect you not to object, understood?"

Ranma nodded, not exactly happy about the thought, but conceding the need to protect Akane's reputation. Still feeling worried about the whole matter, he very nervously wrote, "Are you sure you don't want to send me away? What about the next time? What if I try it again, and I don't stop at a kiss?"

The same thought had occurred to Akane, and it did worry her just a little. After all, Ranma was pretty strong. Then again, she was no weakling herself. She very carefully avoided looking into the corner of her mind which was wondering with interest what it might be like if such a thing did happen.

"I've got two things to say about that, Ranma. First, it was only a kiss. Now I don't mean that a kiss isn't something special, because it is." Akane was blushing faintly as she said this, remembering how the kiss had felt. "But you said that your cat mind knew that you cared about me. I don't think you'd do something that would hurt me, even when the cat mind is in control. It might be a good idea to discuss it with Mitaka-sensei though."

Akane took a long, slow breath, then fixed Ranma with a steely look. "Second, what makes you think I'd let you get away with anything more? I'm no fragile flower. Okay, I admit you caught me off guard today, but it was only for a second, and then I shoved you away. If you had tried anything more, I'd have knocked you into next week! Got it?"

Her ferocity both amused and relieved him. Ranma gave her a real grin, as well as a thumbs up. He quickly wrote, "That's the spirit. Ready to head out to the dojo? Just to be on the safe side, I think I'll start working with you on techniques to break various kinds of holds."

Akane agreed happily with this plan, and Ranma left so that she could change into her gi.

The announcement Akane had suggested was duly made the next morning at school, although upon Kasumi's and Nabiki's advice it was toned down. Nabiki explained that under conditions usually unlikely to be encountered at school, Ranma sometimes suffered flashbacks to a training accident which produced a mental state in which he was not fully aware of events. She also informed everyone that if it were to happen again, she would be taking account of the people responsible for causing it. Any curiosity among some of the other students over whether they could push Ranma into an encore performance quickly died upon hearing these words.

* * *

The following Friday, after her weekly meeting with Ranma and Akane, Mitaka put down her notes from the session which had just ended. She rubbed her aching forehead briefly before picking up the cup of tea she had been nursing along, hoping that the pain relievers she had swallowed would kick in soon and do something about the pounding inside her skull. She reluctantly lifted her notes again to begin expanding on them.

The elderly doctor shook her head with a sigh as she was forced to reflect on the most recent near-catastrophe her young patients had described. It never ceased to amaze her how many awkward and unlikely situations those two teenagers could find themselves in, almost as if Fate itself were determined to upset the delicate balance of opposing forces which made up their current relationship. Mitaka remembered a recent documentary she had watched on American rodeo. She imagined that trying to ride a wild horse must be something like treating Ranma, trying to guess which way the horse would jump next and to prepare for it, hoping you weren't going to be painfully surprised. Then she snorted uncontrollably over the direction her thoughts had taken, as she remembered the meaning of Ranma's name.

Ranma going into the neko-ken state at school was worrisome, but the situation was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. No one had been injured this time, and he had come out of it safely and fairly quickly. The only unfortunate aspect, in terms of the boy's recovery, was the kiss. Despite Akane's reassurances to him, Ranma was still deeply upset about "forcing" himself on Akane. They had spent a great deal of time during today's session exploring the feelings which had given rise to the kiss, in order to give him a little confidence that he wouldn't try anything "worse" if it happened again. Unfortunately, this had meant dancing around the edges of feelings he had for Akane which Mitaka didn't feel that Ranma was ready to admit, and which she didn't want to push him into acknowledging yet.

Then there was Akane. She had been unnerved by the incident, and had been well on her way to worrying herself into a wreck over the fact that she had kissed Ranma back, however briefly, before pushing him away. Even worse, from Akane's point of view, when she had gone to bed that night she had fantasized about kissing Ranma, except in her fantasy he wasn't in the neko-ken and they had been someplace a little more private where they could continue without being interrupted. Akane kept searching for some interpretation of why she was reacting like that, so long as the interpretation she found had nothing to do with having any romantic feelings for Ranma.

On top of that, Akane was now full of worries about how Ranma felt about her. Did he just think of her as a friend? Was he starting to think about her as a girl, and if so, was he going to start acting like the other perverted jerks at school? Or was he not thinking of her as a girl, and if so, why not?

Mitaka spent some time exploring these questions and getting Akane to think about the possible answers. Then she herded the girl into reaching the inescapable conclusion that the only person who could answer these questions was Ranma, and it was very likely that he didn't know the answers himself. The only way to get the answers was to allow the passage of time to slowly reveal them. She pointed out that in the meantime, there was no reason to expect any sudden changes in the way they behaved around each other.

Mitaka made a couple of more notes. Ranma had not harmed either of the boys who had been responsible for his being in the neko-ken, and this despite the fact that he had dredged up the memories of the assault in an attempt to retain control over that state. Also, Akane reported that Ranma had again made a definite and deliberate sound while in the neko-ken, some sort of howl. It was good to have another definite sign that Ranma could still vocalize purposefully. She wondered, not for the first time, if the key to recovery of his speech lay with this strange neko-ken state or the events that surrounded his learning the technique.

She leaned back in her chair, contemplating Ranma's current state of mind. He was coming along nicely, much less emotionally raw, and the frequency of bad dreams had dropped considerably. He was handling conflicts better. His participation in gym class, and presence in the locker room, were going fine, despite a couple of incidents. Or rather, it was expected that there would be some incidents, and he was handling them fairly well. There was still a lot of help she could give him, but aside from his continuing inability to speak, Ranma was well on the road to recovery.

Akane was also doing well. She had controlled her first violent impulse regarding the unexpected kiss, and had taken the time to sit back and think. She had even rationally and calmly discussed the whole matter with Ranma, never once resorting to insults or physical violence. It was clear that Akane saw Ranma as a friend, a good friend, and despite his male gender and strange curse, she was disinclined to label Ranma automatically as a pervert. The impulsive and public intimacy in the schoolyard had certainly provided her with an excellent opportunity to so label him, and yet she hadn't.

For that matter, from the things she'd said without thinking about it, it was apparent that Akane was interacting with all of the boys at school on a more civil basis these days, now that they had stopped attacking her. She had spoken of her disgust at catching one Hiroshi Yanaka reading a hentai manga, but had not given in to any explosion of temper, restraining herself to a few scornful words.

Mitaka nodded in resolution. Next week was the last week of the school term. After that, she would cut back their appointments from twice a week to just once per week, on Fridays. She would also reconfirm what she had told them before, that Ranma should start sleeping by himself full time at the end of the school term, so this Sunday would be the last time he would sleep in Akane's bed. She sighed quietly, wondering if they might actually put up a fuss about that.

Not being one to worry unduly about problems which might not arise, Mitaka pushed the thought aside and closed the notebook. She then pulled out a notebook for one of her other clients. Opening it, she began to review the case notes within.

* * *

Kuno once more challenged Ranma, for a duel after school on the Wednesday of the final week of the term, as his cast was due to come off on that Tuesday. This time he succeeded in fighting with his intended opponent, and suffered no worse injury than a lump on his head where Ranma knocked him unconscious. Undaunted, on both Thursday and Friday mornings Kuno handed Ranma a letter of challenge at the beginning of the school day, to meet him after school. The results on these days were in no way markedly different from the first day.

As they walked out of the gate Friday afternoon, leaving Kuno behind snoozing under a bush, their hearts felt lighter. It was summer break at last. With any luck at all, they wouldn't have to see the pompous kendoist again until the second term began in September.

* * *

On another Friday evening a week later, the family was sitting around the table just finishing dinner. It had been one of those hot, still days, and the doors were open to the outside in the vain hope that a stray breeze would find its way in. It was the kind of weather which could easily make people irritable. This was, in fact, Kasumi's first thought when Nabiki turned to Akane, fanning herself, and asked, "So do you two have any plans for tonight?"

Kasumi opened her mouth to immediately chide Nabiki for making trouble, but then paused, reconsidering. In truth, she hadn't heard anything teasing in the question. For once the middle sister had sounded sincere. Still, she glanced warily in Akane's direction, worried how the youngest sister would take the question.

Akane had her doubts about Nabiki's intentions as well, but controlled her initial response and after a moment's thought decided that it might be safe to answer. "Yes, we do have plans. We're going out to a club tonight. Ranma suggested that since we went to the trouble of taking those lessons, we might as well put them to use. So we're going dancing for real. Besides, for any sort of training, if you don't practice it once in a while then it won't do any good."

Nabiki managed to keep a straight face, fully aware that Kasumi had an eye on her. "Right. Well, enjoy yourselves, then. I mean, after all, no reason you can't have a little fun while you're at it."

Akane gave Nabiki a hard look, wondering whether this could be taken at face value or if there were some underlying message. Finally, she decided to accept it, hoping that her sister meant well. "Thanks, Nabiki. We'll try." Beside her, Ranma nodded.

As Nabiki fought to hold in additional comments which were trying to force their way out, Kasumi decided it might be a good idea to change the subject. So she made the announcement she had already been planning to share. "We'll be taking our trip to the beach in two weeks. I've made the reservations for a cottage."

Akane clapped her hands in pleasure, crying out, "Oh, wonderful! I can't wait!" Nabiki was also smiling. Soun was behind his newspaper, and from his lack of reaction might not have even heard Kasumi.

Ranma's hands made a sign which requested more information. Kasumi answered him. "We go to the seashore every summer for a week. There's a small town a little over a hundred kilometers to the north where we always stay. It's a very pretty place, and usually isn't very crowded, at least not for a seaside town in the summer. The cottage isn't right on the beach, but is only about a kilometer inland."

"It really is nice," Akane enthused. "It's got a great beach, but there's other good points too. The town is so ... _quaint_. I could spend hours just walking around enjoying it. It's got a lot of good places to eat, too, which ought to make _you_ happy."

Ranma held up his hands in surrender, smiling. He signed, "Sounds nice."

Nabiki's face grew animated, eyes shining, as she announced, "We'll have to go out shopping for new swimwear!"

Kasumi pursed her lips. "My suit from last year will do just fine, thank you. You don't really need a new one either, Nabiki. Akane will, however. She has grown a bit in the last year."

Nabiki waved the frugal suggestion away. "It isn't a matter of _need_, oneechan. Going shopping for a new suit or two is half the fun of going to the beach."

Akane was looking down at her food, blushing slightly over Kasumi's comment about having grown. Truthfully, though, she was also looking forward to going shopping for a new suit. Kasumi looked upon her younger sister with a smile which suggested she could read her thoughts, but then turned her gaze on Ranma.

"We'll also need to buy a couple of swimsuits for you, Ranma," Kasumi declared seriously.

Ranma looked up at this, then shrugged, not understanding the excitement over shopping. He pulled out his pad and wrote, "Don't need to. I have some shorts that'll do."

Kasumi read this then gave Ranma a sad smile. "Are you forgetting, Ranma? Shorts won't do once you touch the ocean."

Ranma's jaw dropped, his chopsticks hanging forgotten halfway between table and mouth. With his curse, he would have no choice but to be female the entire time that he was on the beach itself. All of a sudden he wasn't looking forward to the trip nearly as much, or even at all. Putting down his chopsticks, he wrote, "Maybe I could stay here while the rest of you go?"

Akane's face fell. "Oh, come on, Ranma," she pleaded. "It isn't so terrible, is it? It, well ..." Her cheeks grew rosy. "You've almost become like part of our family. It wouldn't be right to leave you behind. Won't you come with us?"

"I agree, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said softly but firmly. "We're your family now, and you deserve a vacation as much as the rest of us. Also, we wouldn't be happy thinking of you back here all by yourself. Besides, as Akane said, there's more to the town than the ocean. If you absolutely don't want to go to the beach, you'll still be able to enjoy yourself. But I hope you'll come to the beach as well."

A disembodied voice came from behind the newspaper. "I also agree with my daughters, Ranma-kun. You should get out of Nerima for a while, and have some fun. May I also suggest that you should discuss with Mitaka-sensei your feelings regarding your curse and going out on the beach itself?"

Nabiki was following the discussion with interest, although she didn't seem to feel the necessity of voicing her own opinion. Ranma seemed to waver in indecision, but at last he gave a sigh, smiled weakly and nodded his acceptance. Akane, beaming, returned to her dinner.

Kasumi quickly considered logistics. She had to head her sisters off from going shopping for the swimsuits this weekend, or Ranma's reluctance would prevent him from joining them. They were going to the beach in two weeks, and his next appointment was a week away. If Ranma's therapist could talk him into giving the beach a try, he might be barely willing to get a swimsuit next week. Thus she cheerfully suggested, "Very well, Nabiki, we'll all get new swimsuits. Unfortunately, I'll be too busy this weekend to manage a proper shopping expedition. Shall we plan on going next weekend?"

Nabiki shrugged her agreement, and Akane nodded, her mouth full of rice. Ranma was also rapidly moving chopsticks between bowl and mouth, and didn't really pay heed to what Kasumi said, having already suppressed the idea of himself and a girl's swimsuit. Reasonably satisfied for the moment, Kasumi changed the subject once more, asking questions about the training Ranma and Akane were now doing, which had increased in intensity after the end of the school term. The discussion centered around martial arts for the remainder of the dinner.

A couple of hours later, Akane was smiling and laughing, as Ranma found ways to mix signs in with his dance movements in order to manage something like a conversation. Her dress flared about her thighs as she spun, before Ranma's arm once again encircled her waist. They ended in a picture perfect pose on the last beat of the song.

As Ranma led her to a table for a short break, Akane suppressed a twinge of jealousy, shaking her head ruefully. It just wasn't fair that Ranma was able to master _everything_ so quickly. She knew that she was doing fairly well at the dancing herself, but Ranma already looked as if he'd been doing this for _years_.

By the time they sat down, Akane's good sense had reasserted itself. While it was true that Ranma learned anything athletic or martial rapidly, this wasn't necessarily true of other things. Through her and Kasumi's efforts, Ranma had ended the school term with decent grades, but certainly nothing to get excited over. Some of Kasumi's attempts to teach him civilized behavior had also had mixed results. Akane suppressed a grimace over the thought of the effort it had taken to teach him basic competence at the simplest form of a tea ceremony.

Which thought led Akane to reflect over all of the events which had transpired since the night she had found Ranma in that alley, and how much things had changed in her life in less than three months. Her martial arts skills had increased by a significant degree in that time, and she looked back with chagrin over how she had considered herself to be at the peak of excellence before Ranma's arrival. Now she was fiercely determined to get much, much better than her current level.

But a much greater change was in her whole ... attitude, the way she felt about her life. Before Ranma she had felt like she was angry all of the time, deeply unhappy about the situation at school, not understood even by her friends. Since then, Ranma had become a friend who understood her in a way that no one else ever had. Between Ranma and Mitaka-sensei, her temper had calmed considerably, though she was forced to admit that it was hardly gone. Still, she was no longer inclined to fly off the handle at the least little thing any more.

And she was happy. That sounded such a small thing, but the reality was enormous. Not so long ago her days had all been bleak, the only respite her jogging and training, in which she could lose herself for a while. Even that had been filled with loneliness, when not even her father seemed to care about her training any longer. Now, Ranma jogged and trained with her, giving her company and making those activities much more enjoyable. He did other things with her as well, the dancing, ice skating, eating out, things which helped to remind her that she was more than a martial artist. He had even brought a new interest to her schoolwork, as she struggled to help him with it.

Akane looked at the young man sitting beside her and gave him a grateful smile, startling him and causing him to look vaguely puzzled. Then she turned back to her drink and resumed watching the dance floor beyond. Doing things like this with Ranma made her happy, made her feel good. She wondered for a moment if this sort of feeling were anything like what it felt to have a boyfriend, how it would be to go out on dates with a boy you cared about.

Akane pushed the thought away, but it wouldn't stay pushed. This thought had been sneaking up on her more and more frequently of late, making her feel very uncomfortable. She wasn't ready to think about boyfriends, she firmly reminded herself. Ranma was a friend, and she liked it like that. A boyfriend would expect to _do_ things. If Ranma were to change into a boyfriend, would he suddenly expect to ... to ... _touch_ her? More? Akane shuddered. Some of the things the other girls talked about doing with boys, well, frankly it was more than a bit scary. Equally scary was how, alone in her bed at night, Akane sometimes found thoughts of such things popping up in her imagination, almost as if she couldn't help herself.

Besides, Akane reminded herself, Ranma himself couldn't be ready for any such thing. After the attack, it surely must be some time yet before he could bring himself to get into a relationship of that sort with anyone. Although he did seem to be doing fairly well in a lot of ways. Was it possible he might be more ready than she thought?

Perhaps ... perhaps it would be a good idea to talk about all of this with Mitaka-sensei. They had of course previously discussed her attitude about boys, their perverted desires, the morning attacks, and even the sort of things couples might do when they loved each other. But Akane was beginning to think that she might now have a new perspective on the whole issue of dating, and that it might be a good time to revisit her concerns, hopes and fears on the subject.

With a slurp, the last of the soda vanished from her cup. As she turned back to Ranma, Akane saw a girl walking past who looked at her with undisguised envy. No blush colored Akane's cheeks as a result; over the last several weeks she had become accustomed to people mistaking herself and Ranma for a couple. She gave him her hand as the two of them stood gracefully and headed back out to the dance floor.

* * *

The following Saturday saw the three daughters of Soun Tendo walking down the street in company with a scowling Ranma Saotome, in his female form. They were on their way to purchase swimsuits, and Ranma was imperfectly reconciled to the idea of buying a girl's suit for himself. He remembered the entire conversation with Mitaka-sensei on the subject, remembered agreeing to give the beach a try, to a degree even looked forward to it. All the same, part of him felt like he was going along with the idea only to prove to everyone else what a disaster it would turn out to be.

Akane had also been closeted with the therapist for a long time the previous afternoon. Afterward, Ranma had noticed her giving him an occasional approving glance, and wondered just what it was that she and Mitaka had been talking about. As a matter of fact, that discussion had mostly centered around Akane's views about dating, and in particular, boys' expectations from girls they dated. Using Ranma as a hypothetical example of such a boy, Akane was brought to an admission that maybe there were, after all, some boys who would not pressure a girl into doing things which said girl did not wish to do.

"We're here!" Nabiki announced gaily, and disappeared into the store. Her two sisters followed more sedately, while Ranma looked like he was being dragged by a rope tied around his middle.

At first the three full-time girls just looked over the choices, picking up first one and then another, comparing several together, discussing the relative merits of one design over another, colors and textures. They occasionally threw simple questions at Ranma to which he could sign answers, but half the time his answers indicated that he hadn't been paying any attention. He was finally forced to pay a little more heed when it came time to picking out possible suits for him to try on. At this point he rejected several of the possibilities, although Nabiki surreptitiously picked a couple of them back up to make a fresh attempt at the changing rooms.

There was a relatively modest, two-toned one-piece of which Ranma found he actually approved. The front displayed the disgusting phrase "Boy Toy," one word above the other, but Kasumi assured him that she could remove or hide the lower word. This would leave him with a suit which proclaimed his gender status as "Boy." He set this one aside for purchase.

Nabiki seemed to favor two-piece suits. Very brief two-piece suits. Akane and Kasumi on the other hand were mostly trying one-piece suits, much like Ranma's. Even so, they had both been talked into trying on some of the two-piece suits. Ranma looked away from the sight of Kasumi in one of these, feeling very embarrassed, as if he had accidentally intruded on the oldest sister's privacy. He also averted his eyes when Akane came out wearing one of the revealing swimsuits, but managed to watch her out of the corner of his eyes. All three sisters were aware of his scrutiny, and Akane blushed in embarrassment as she wavered between a desire to pound him and a hollow feeling in her stomach, from knowing he was looking at her.

Akane had her revenge when Nabiki produced one of the skimpy suits and suggested that Ranma give it a try. He refused at first, but the three Tendo's ganged up on him forcing him to give in at the last. The red-haired girl finally emerged from the dressing room blushing furiously. Akane blushed as well, and finally turned away after purposefully staring for a minute to make sure that Ranma knew what it felt like.

On exiting the store, Ranma collided with a boy wearing a bandanna, nearly knocking both of them down. They each immediately reached out to grab hold and steady one another. The boy apologized, saying, "Excuse me miss, I'm afraid I wasn't watching where ... Ranma?"

Ranma, equally startled, stared at Ryoga, who appeared to have been walking with his gaze fixed on something engulfed in his large hand. Akane spoke up for him, eyeing the sometime pig warily. "Ryoga-kun, what are you doing here? Are you ... um, lost?"

Ryoga looked around at the four pairs of female eyes fixed on him, and the sympathetic regard contained in them. He flushed, feeling embarrassed under this attention. "Er, no. No. I'm, uh, running an errand for my mom. She asked me to come pick up some things she ordered from a store down the street."

"Is that safe?" Akane asked. "I mean, it seems pretty amazing that you found your way here. Are you going to be able to find your way back by yourself all right?"

Ryoga's face grew even more red as he shook his head from side to side. "It's okay. My uh, uh, uh ..." His voice dropped to a whisper, "_therapist_ ...," then rose in volume once more, "helped me to get this." He held out what appeared to be a cell phone, whose display showed a street map with an arrow on it.

"It's a telephone," Ryoga went on, "with a built-in GPS module. I can give it an address, and it shows a map with an arrow on it. The arrow points in the direction I'm supposed to be walking in. I also have saved addresses for a few places like home, school and my," again the word was whispered, "_therapist's_ office."

Kasumi smiled cheerfully. "Goodness. That sounds like a very useful thing for you to have."

Ryoga wished that he could stop blushing, especially with Ranma standing right there watching him, even if his rival was currently female. "Uh, yeah. It also has saved phone numbers for home and my, uh, _therapist_ in case I get into some kind of trouble where I need to call someone."

"And do you still blame Ranma for your curse, and everything else in your life?" Akane inquired seriously. The look on her face suggested that he had better consider his answer carefully.

Ryoga felt a light sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I, uh ... we're working on it. I'm ... trying." His face scrunched up, before he blurted, "It ain't that simple, all right! Why should _he_ have it so easy?" His finger was pointing at onna-Ranma.

This was met by a look of disbelief from Ranma, and indignation from the others. Even Kasumi frowned briefly. The oldest sister held out a hand to stop Akane before she could launch into a tirade, and spoke calmly, as if she were tutoring a small, errant child.

"Ryoga-kun, I'm afraid that you don't know what you are talking about. Have you forgotten Ranma's own curse, even though he is standing right in front of you? Have you forgotten that he can no longer talk? Has he ever shared with you any stories of how his father trained him? Please do not whine to _me_ about how Ranma-kun has had an easier life than you, because I'm afraid that I know better."

Ryoga looked like a puppy being chastised by its owner for having an accident on the carpet. "I'm, er, s-sorry," he got out, unable to meet Kasumi's eyes.

Ranma pulled out his pad and started writing something. Everyone waited while his pen scratched away, then he pulled off the sheet and handed it to Kasumi to read. "Don't worry about it, Ryoga. Tell you what, we're going to the beach in a few days, but after we get back, how about you come over to spar with me? We can take out our frustrations on each other. If you don't have the address, Kasumi can give it to your mom."

Ryoga turned to face Ranma with a gleam in his eye. "So, I'd be free to pound on you, eh? Sounds good to me."

Ranma opened his mouth in a silent laugh, then wrote some more and handed the sheet to Ryoga. "Just so long as you realize I'm going to be pounding right back." Ryoga looked up from the sheet to see Ranma cock an index finger at him, then pound a fist into his other hand.

Akane spoke up. "Hey! I hope you don't think you're going to leave me out of these sparring sessions! After all ..." She turned to give Ryoga the evil eye. "I still need to pay this pervert back for ..." She suddenly remembered that she had never told Kasumi and Nabiki all of the details of that night. "... for, uh, coming by to fight Ranma at night while we were all trying to sleep."

Ryoga looked at the fire in her eyes and gulped, wondering if this might prove more dangerous than he initially thought. A memory came back to him and he asked, "Um, didn't you threaten to, uh ..." He swallowed hard. "Didn't you threaten to make me regret it if you ever found me at your house again?"

Akane looked him over, then sighed, banking the flames of her anger a little. "Yes, I did. It still goes if I ever find you in my house at night or without an invitation. But it's okay if you've been invited over to spar."

Akane's eyes narrowed a bit more as she reflected once more on the reason for her threats. She took a step closer and, in a quiet voice which encouraged him to lean over a little, whispered, "Besides, I'm assuming your therapy sessions are doing you some good. You _won't_ ever use your curse to crawl into a girl's bed without her knowledge again. _Will_ you?"

Ryoga shook his head from side to side violently.

Akane nodded. "Then I suppose that I can forgive you. Not that I'm likely to forget, and not that I'm going to suddenly start trusting you without a lot more evidence that you can _be_ trusted. Like I said, you're only welcome if you've been invited."

Ryoga also nodded, sheepishly. "Okay. I, uh, I'd better be going. I hope you have a good time. At the beach, I mean." He looked at Ranma, and sighed, looking up at the sky rather than at the cute figure he cut. "All of you." He gave a small wave of his hand, then headed down the street in the wrong direction. He turned his attention back to the device in his hand, gave a small curse, turned around and passed them going the other way.

* * *

The family walked together from the train station to the rented cottage, Kasumi and Nabiki leading the way while Ranma, Soun and Akane carried most of the luggage. Akane was grumbling mildly because Ranma had insisted that she carry more than her fair share. Actually, that wasn't the problem. Her real complaint was that he insisted she carry the luggage while simultaneously walking along the tops of fences. Ranma allowed her to get away with the grumbling as long as she kept it reasonably inaudible.

Before long the family arrived at the small house they had rented, and stepped up onto its large front porch. Kasumi unlocked the door and immediately began opening windows to let in air and let out the heat. Inside the house was a living room with a small kitchen area separated from it by a counter, two bedrooms, and a small room containing a toilet and sink. Observing the facilities, Nabiki commented, "Looks like we'll be making use of a public bathhouse this visit."

It was quickly decided, with no debate, that the three sisters would share the larger bedroom, and Ranma and Soun would share the other. They dumped their luggage into the rooms accordingly, and Kasumi started unpacking some of the things she had brought for the kitchen while making plans to visit the local market. Nabiki disappeared into the bedroom to change into her swimsuit, saying that she was headed straight to the beach. Hoping to delay that experience himself, Ranma suggested to Akane that they go out for a walk around the town, to which she readily agreed.

Thus Ranma and Akane found themselves walking alone together through the quiet streets of the town, breathing in the salt tang of the air, listening to the cries of gulls nearby. Without even thinking about it, Ranma's hand had reached over and encircled Akane's, and she had accepted his grip. A steady breeze was blowing off of the ocean and up the hills, causing Akane to reach for her hat more than once to make sure it remained on her head. It was peaceful, and Akane gazed around with delight, while Ranma divided his attention between the scenery and the girl beside him.

They ended up at a little shop where they were able to buy some ice cream and then sit down at a table outside to eat it. There was a good view down the hill of the ocean, with several passing ships visible, although the beach itself was hidden from view.

Akane turned to Ranma with a smile and chirped, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He nodded in response. Then, daringly, he signed, "You're more beautiful." Ranma was pleased with the blush this raised on her face, even though he knew his own had grown rosy at the same time. Both teenagers turned their attention industriously to their ice cream.

An hour or so after they left, Akane and Ranma returned to the cottage. They found that Kasumi, having recently returned from the market, was more than ready to take a break and head down to the ocean. Akane was quite willing to accompany her, but Ranma was rather less so. With considerable effort, they finally persuaded Ranma to join them, and he reluctantly splashed himself with some water from the sink to transform into a girl. After donning their swimsuits, the three females walked down the road to the beach.

The trio collected quite a number of looks from the unattached males they passed, not to mention several covert glances from the attached ones. It made Ranma feel distinctly uncomfortable, and he kept worrying whether he might be showing more than he intended. Several times his fingertips brushed lightly along the leg openings of his suit, to confirm that the fabric was where he expected it to be.

Nabiki was nowhere to be seen, but they did find a nice clean patch of sand well above the waterline on which to spread out the large blanket which Kasumi has thought to bring. Ranma opened the beach umbrella and stuck it into the sand to one side, placing the cooler he had carried with him in its shade. The girls then lay down to soak up some sun while Ranma sat hugging his knees beside the cooler, hiding in the shade of the umbrella.

Ranma's only memories of previous trips to the beach involved learning how to fight with sandy footing, or in the surf. He shot envious glances at the two girls, noting the smiles on their faces as they lay there in the sun. After a short time he came out from under the umbrella to sit beside Akane. As the minutes ticked past, he gradually leaned back, supporting himself on his arms, legs stretched out in front of him.

Ranma was surprised at how good it felt to simply sit there like that, allowing the hot sun to warm him. With his eyes closed, he was eventually able to forget, temporarily, that there were other guys around staring at his female body.

After a relaxing period of time, Ranma reached over and pulled a drink out of the cooler. The movement attracted the attention of the two sisters and on their request, he passed out additional bottles to both Akane and Kasumi. The cool liquid felt good, and Ranma pressed the sweaty bottle against his forehead. He cast a greedy eye at the mild surf, and tossed the rest of the drink down his throat quickly.

Turning to Akane, he signed, "We swim." Not receiving an immediate enthusiastic response, he added an interrogative, "Okay?"

Akane looked down, smoothing out bumps in the blanket. She cleared her throat a couple of times before admitting, "I, uh, can't swim very well."

Ranma signed, "I with you. Watch you."

Akane grew even more nervous, twiddling her thumbs. "Um, the truth is, I ... can't swim at all."

Ranma stared at her, looking very surprised. His hands asked, "Why you not say before?"

Akane squirmed, then said hotly, and rather loudly, "Because I was too embarrassed, okay?! All my friends can swim, but I've never learned! Every time I try, I just sink!"

Ranma's head tilted to the side, considering her words. The girl he faced was indeed very muscular, and likely would have some trouble floating. Even so, there should be no fundamental reason she couldn't learn to swim. Finally he signed, "After back home, I teach you swim. Wait." He stood and walked off.

Akane's eyes followed him nervously. He walked up the beach a ways, then negotiated with a vendor to rent a couple of inflated tubes, mostly using gestures and displays of a few yen. Carrying the tubes back, he put them down, then signed, "We stay close to beach. I watch carefully. Okay?"

Akane gave an unreassuring titter. "I ... I guess." She picked up one of the tubes and followed Ranma down to the water.

It took a while, but Akane gradually relaxed as nothing terrible happened. The water was cool, even chilly after the hot sun on the sand. It felt very refreshing. Akane was even able to unwind enough to engage in a little horseplay, splashing Ranma. When the pigtailed girl finally indicated that he was ready to get out of the water, Akane was surprised to feel a small sense of disappointment, but reassured herself with the thought that they were going to be here for several more days.

After a typically wonderful dinner prepared by Kasumi, all five of them trooped off together to the nearest bathhouse. On the way there, a thought suddenly occurred to Ranma, stopping him cold in his tracks. When the others paused, looking at him curiously, Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote.

"How am I going to do this? The cold water will make me a girl. I don't want all the men in there to see me like that."

"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed. "That hadn't occurred to me."

"Well I hope you don't think you're bathing on the women's side," Akane told him pointedly.

Ranma waved his hands at her in exaggerated negation, then wrote, "Of course not. Besides, the hot water would change me back to a guy."

"Maybe they have a coed facility here," Nabiki suggested. "I'm sure that Akane wouldn't mind keeping you company."

"Nabiki!" Akane yelled, face reddening. Ranma was scowling at the middle sister as well.

Soun, taking note of the stares they were attracting, intervened between his daughters for once. "For goodness sake, they have hot water faucets as well. Ranma, you'll just have to wash and rinse yourself with hot water, and try very hard to avoid being splashed by any of the other bathers. That should allow you to remain male."

This plan was followed and although it almost worked, Ranma did get splashed. In fact, it was Soun who was at fault, tripping over someone else's pail. He apologized profusely, trying not to look at the nude girl, while Ranma quickly grabbed his pail of hot rinse water and dumped it over his head. Luckily, he had been just about ready to rinse anyway. Ranma immediately walked over to one of the tubs and sank into it, allowing the hot water to wrap him in a feeling of security, safe for a short period from changing gender.

* * *

Everyone enjoyed themselves equally as well the next day, with one exception. Ranma pouted for a couple of hours after Akane won a martial art melon splitting race which they both entered. Ranma got so involved with splitting the watermelons held by the other contestants that he forgot the point was to be the first one across the finish line with an intact melon. Akane seemed to have a permanent grin plastered across her face the rest of the day over having beaten Ranma at something labeled as a "martial art."

The next couple of days passed without any crises, and Ranma found that he was actually enjoying himself. Of course the best parts, to his mind, were the times that he and Akane spent sightseeing or just walking around the town, when he could remain male. But as he became accustomed to the men looking at him on the beach, he found that he was able to ignore them, and take pleasure in the various things they did - sitting in the sun, swimming, eating ice cream. One day he and Akane constructed an elaborate sand castle which was more than two meters in diameter.

For her part, Akane was happier than she had ever been before. She found her thoughts turning more and more toward the boy who had so thoroughly become a part of her life, all of the things they enjoyed doing together, wondering if maybe they weren't "just friends." Wondering what they were. Wondering what, if anything, she should do about it.

On the fourth day after their arrival, Ranma was negotiating with a vendor over the purchase of two ice cream cones. He and Akane were at the beach by themselves for the moment, and she was some distance away, still lying on the blanket. As he was preparing to pay, a young man walked up and said, "Here, let me get that for you. My treat."

The red-haired girl turned to regard her would-be benefactor. He was tall, wearing only a brief pair of swim trunks, relatively muscular and well tanned. He looked to be about nineteen, with finely chiseled facial features just slightly reminiscent of the ice skater Mikado Sanzenin. Not a plus in Ranma's book. Still, if this guy wanted to save him the cost of the ice cream, who was he to argue? He gave a small smile, and nodded his head.

Ranma turned away as the boy paid the vendor, but he quickly caught up and began walking beside the teenage girl. "My name's Takumi ... Takumi Fujiwara. What's yours?"

Ranma glanced to the side, but tried to hide his annoyance since this Takumi _had_ just paid for his ice cream. He opened his mouth wide and reached up to point a finger into it, while shaking his head.

"Oh." The boy looked a little disturbed. "You, uh, can't talk, huh? Gee, that's too bad. Must be kinda rough."

Ranma gave a little sigh, wishing his new companion would take off. He shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he was grown more or less used to his mute condition, and was not particularly seeking sympathy for it. They were getting close to where he had left Akane. Ranma sought for some way to politely convince the boy to go pester someone else.

Takumi put an arm around Ranma's shoulders, pulling him in close. "Well, I think you're really brave to not let it bother you any. Tell you what, my blanket's just down the way a little ..." He pointed. "Why don't you come over and join me? I could put some more suntan lotion on you if you like, and maybe later we could go out together for some dinner?"

Ranma stopped dead still, causing Takumi to stumble slightly as his feet tried to continue moving forward while his arm on Ranma's shoulders was unable to do so. Ranma knew that the boy had offered to buy the ice cream for what he saw as a cute girl, but the remaining implications were only now penetrating. ‹This _slimeball_ is _hitting_ on me! He wants to take me out on a date!›

Ranma gave a shudder, and Takumi looked at her in concern. "Is ... is everything all right? I haven't offended you, have I?" He pulled back his arm hastily. "I mean, you just seemed like a nice girl and ... I ..." His voice trailed off as Ranma turned burning eyes on him, hands clenching into fists.

Luckily they had stopped fairly close to Akane, who had observed the final stages of this encounter. Just as lucky, Akane's emotions were not directly involved in anything which had happened so far, so she was able to manage a degree of objectivity. She leaped up and threw her arms around Ranma before he could do anything devastating.

"Whoa, Ranma! Calm down!" Akane urged in a fierce whisper. "Unless he said something terrible, I didn't see him do anything bad."

Despite his pinned arms, Ranma managed to sign, "Wants a date."

Akane's lips quivered, but she kept her expression serious. "He didn't know. All he saw was a cute girl, without a boy nearby, and thought he'd see if you might like to get to know him." She had a little trouble saying this, as she was feeling like a hypocrite. In Ranma's place, Akane might well have decked the guy herself. A few months ago, she certainly would have done so.

Akane turned to the boy who was staring at them in obvious confusion. "She had a bit of trouble with a guy not so long ago, and isn't exactly rational about such things yet. You'd better go while I can still hold her."

Takumi blinked his eyes, not comprehending what was wrong. Nonetheless, he took in the red-haired girl's agitation and clenched fists, and decided to leave before she grew any more upset. Shaking his head over the missed opportunity, he walked off down the beach.

After a moment or two more, Ranma took a deep breath and relaxed his tensed muscles, prompting Akane to release him. He looked down sorrowfully at the two crushed cones lying in the hot sand, their contents already almost entirely melted. Akane patted him on the shoulder and told him, "Go ahead and lie back down. I'll buy some more ice cream."

Several minutes later the two teenagers were sitting on the blanket, eating their ice cream, while watching people sporting in the waves. Ranma was still visibly upset, but was slowly calming down. Akane was trying to think of something she could say that might help, but most of the ideas that occurred to her were more likely to make it worse.

Then Akane had an idea. Her eyes widened as it occurred to her, and her pulse sped up. There were several potential difficulties, but the biggest was whether she had the courage to even make the suggestion. She bit her lip, worrying, wondering how Ranma would react if she dared. It would be necessary to drop her defenses, and Akane knew that if she was even the slightest bit wrong about how Ranma might react, then it was going to hurt terribly.

Ranma sensed the attack of nerves going on beside him, and cast a concerned look toward Akane. With an effort he tried to put aside his lingering disgust over what had happened, in order to deal with whatever was troubling his friend. However, before he could raise his hands to ask a question, Akane turned to look directly at him. Her eyes seemed to hold fear in their depths.

"Ranma," she began, her voice sounding hoarse. She stopped and licked her lips before continuing. "Do you remember that restaurant we passed last night while we were walking? The one with the little fountain out in front? That we thought might be a nice place to try?"

Ranma nodded to show that, yes, he did remember it. He was very puzzled, wondering what this had to do with the state she was working herself up into.

Akane was now having trouble meeting his eyes. "I was, uh, wondering if you might like to go there tonight. Just the two of us. To go out together." She looked back up to see his response.

Ranma wondered what was bothering the girl beside him so much. It couldn't be what she'd just asked. They'd gone out to eat together several times now. There had to be something else. Nonetheless, the answer to the question he'd been asked was obvious. He smiled, and nodded his head happily.

Akane considered his reaction carefully, and realized that she would have to be more explicit. "I don't just mean, go out to eat together. I mean ... _a date_. You and I ... go on a date."

She knew that she'd finally got through to him as she watched understanding dawn, and panic fill his blue eyes. Ranma's throat moved in several convulsive swallows, and his hands suddenly had two death grips on the blanket beneath them.

Ranma felt absolutely petrified, and was struggling mightily to get his thoughts moving again. Akane wanted to go on a _date_? With _him_? He had been fighting for some time against thinking of Akane that way, certain that he could never be more than a friend to her, that neither she, nor indeed any girl, could possibly be interested in a cursed freak like himself. Yet she had indisputably just suggested that they go on a date.

‹Say something, jackass!› he wailed silently inside his head. ‹Before she thinks that your answer is no!›

One finger at a time, Ranma released his hold on the blanket, and slowly raised his hands in front of himself. Moving with exquisite care, he formed the signs, "I would like. Very much." He watched as Akane sagged in relief.

Then another panicked thought struck him, as he remembered things he had overheard other boys saying, about dates they had been on. Terror on his face, his hands rapidly made additional signs, ending in an interrogative. "Need to kiss?"

Akane took a moment to remember the meaning of the sign for "kiss," then waved her hands violently in front of herself. "No! No, no kiss. Not, uh, not on a first date. We'll just eat there, and then go back to the cottage."

It was Ranma's turn to sag in relief. He may have kissed Akane by accident while in the neko-ken, but he wasn't ready to contemplate doing it deliberately. Calming down, he tilted his head, looking off in the distance for a moment, then signed, "How different? Eat at restaurants before."

"How is this different from other times we ate out at restaurants?" Akane asked to confirm his question. Ranma nodded. She thought about it for a moment, then answered. "The difference, well, it's the reason _why_. The other times weren't dates. This time is. We know it's a date, and that makes it different." She paused, thinking some more. "What will happen, what we'll do, will probably be pretty much the same as the other times. But it will feel completely different."

Ranma thought about what she'd said, and realized that it made sense to him. He still couldn't believe that she really wanted to go on a date with him, but was glad that she'd had the courage to ask him, because he was certain that he could never have suggested it first. He blinked, as he suddenly became aware of his rapid heartbeat and breathing, and then castigated himself for his lack of control. He focused his attention inward, forcing his body's processes back to optimum states.

His attention was not wholly internal, however. His hand reached out and came to rest on Akane's, where it was placed on the blanket. His fingers curled around, taking hold of her hand, and he felt her return his grip. Both teenagers smiled, their cheeks glowing softly, realizing that the handclasp had a new meaning to them.

Ranma didn't even realize that he had completely forgotten about the episode with the other boy.

In the girl's bedroom later that day, Akane was brushing her hair while getting ready to go out. Nabiki looked up from where she was doing exercises on the floor. "So, are you sure now? This time, it really is a date?"

Akane rounded on her sister, but instead of anger, her eyes looked sad. "Oneechan, please ... please don't tease. I'm nervous enough already. Don't make it harder."

Nabiki sighed, grumbling slightly, but let it drop. After all, Kasumi was sitting on the bed, looking straight at her. Nabiki remembered quite clearly the scene when Akane and Ranma had come home, and her little sister had announced that the two of them were going on a date that night. Moving with a speed no one knew she possessed, Kasumi had stuffed their father's mouth with two entire rice balls before he could utter a single word in response to the announcement.

By the time Soun was able to swallow and had his mouth free again, Akane and Ranma had vanished into the bedrooms to change out of their swimsuits. Kasumi had taken the opportunity to whisper sternly into his ear for several minutes, and then had insisted he accompany her while she did some shopping. He had seemed very subdued on their return.

Akane's and Ranma's dinner was not very different from the other times they ate in restaurants, although they were both more nervous and conversation, such as it was, didn't seem to be as easy. They did settle down a little by the end of the meal. A spilled water glass accompanied by a change of gender just before paying the bill proved only a minor hiccup in the evening, and Ranma returned from the restroom as a male to escort Akane back to the cottage.

They held hands as they walked along. Ranma decided to delay their return a little longer and turned aside, leading Akane to a point where they could look out over the ocean below. The sun had set behind them so that the sky in front of them and its reflection in the water were fairly dark, except that the moon just above the horizon cast a pale streak across the waters. They stood there quietly and enjoyed the view while the lingering light faded out of the sky behind, allowing the path of moonlight across the sea to grow clearer. Akane leaned against Ranma, prompting him to nervously lift an arm and put it around her, holding her close. The moon was considerably higher before the two silently turned and continued on their way.

* * *

By the time the five of them were on the train heading back to Tokyo, Kasumi felt like a nervous wreck. She had been required to expend enormous effort to keep their father from saying anything which might damage this delicate new stage of Akane's and Ranma's relationship. At least Nabiki had gotten the message right away, and had confined herself to slipping in numerous casual references to Ranma as being Akane's boyfriend. This had annoyed both of the younger teens a little, but they seemed to brush it off without becoming unduly upset.

Kasumi cast another worried look at her father. Now that her little sister and Ranma admitted they were dating, Soun seemed almost unable to control himself, wanting to push Akane and Ranma together far faster than they would be willing to accept. Kasumi had lost count of how many times she had explained to him that doing so might break them up instead, and if he really wanted them together, he would be far better off letting things progress as they were. Each such lecture caused the Tendo patriarch to back off for a while, but it was never more than a temporary reprieve.

Kasumi made a fervent wish that her father would come to his senses before doing anything foolish. She also hoped that things might remain peaceful for a while, so that her attention wouldn't be distracted by any further complications.

* * *

In China, a man in a filthy gi wearily hiked east out of the Bayankala Mountains. He had waited in Jusenkyo for several weeks, but his foolish son had never shown up. Genma had finally been forced to conclude that, whatever Ranma's plans had been, they had not involved an immediate return to the place where they were cursed.

So it was time to head back to Japan and see if he could pick up on Ranma's trail. He needed to find the boy and drag him to Tendo's, get him safely married, before Ranma's mother Nodoka found out about the curse. He sighed in something like despair at the thought of the cold trail he would be trying to follow.

A couple of men he was passing stopped to stare at him. Genma stared back until they averted their gaze and continued on. He gave a soft snort, remembering how he had spent the time looking for, and finally finding, the Spring of Drowned Man. He had a crystal clear memory of the event, certain he was about to be cured, diving into the pool.

Two boys herding sheep came slowly down the road. When the first one caught sight of Genma he stared for a minute, jaw hanging. Then he giggled and nudged his companion, pointing as the other boy looked up. They both collapsed to the ground laughing, forgetting their sheep. Genma ignored the pair, trying to look dignified.

He didn't pull it off very well. It's hard to look dignified when you're a middle-aged man with the ears of a panda bear.

* * *

**Author's note:**

So they're finally dating. Is it happily ever after? Stay tuned for the next chapter, when Ranma and Akane do some sparring with Ryoga, and Genma gains a traveling companion.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	11. Hurtful Words

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 11. Hurtful Words**

Ranma was walking home from Tofu's clinic on the Saturday after their return from the beach, one hand in his pocket touching his latest paycheck. He hurried his steps, knowing that Ryoga was due to arrive shortly to spar with Akane and himself. This would be the first time they had seen Ryoga since they'd bumped into him before the vacation trip, when he and the girls were shopping for swimsuits. It was also the first time Ryoga would be at the Tendo home since the night his curse had been discovered.

Ranma was looking forward to the sparring session, but he couldn't stay focused on it. His thoughts kept returning to the previous evening. He and Akane had been on another date, at a movie this time. They had started out holding hands in the dark theater, and ended with Ranma's arm around her, the two of them leaning against one another.

It was a pity that Kuno just had to show up, accosting them on the way home and purposefully splashing in a puddle to change Ranma into a girl. Akane had shrieked in outrage, pummeled the boy, and left him sprawled unconscious in the middle of a neighbor's rosebush. Bearing his female body in mind, Ranma had tried to simply walk beside Akane the rest of the way home, but she had insisted on taking his hand and holding it anyway.

His mind slipped back in time even further, to the afternoon before their date. Necessarily, he and Mitaka-sensei discussed everything which had happened during the vacation. After his confession that he and Akane had gone on a real date, they had spent considerable time discussing his feelings about that and the current state of his relationship with Akane. He knew that Akane had discussed similar things during her session, since she had told him a little bit about it later.

Finally he thought about the sign language class that morning. He, Akane and Kasumi were finally reaching the point where they could begin to hold simple conversations, with Ranma signing his part. It would be good to use the pad less, although ...

Ranma paused and thought a little more about that. He had decided a long time ago that there was at least one advantage to the pad. He knew that he had always had a smart mouth; it had gotten him into trouble more times than he was comfortable remembering. Having to think before he spoke - wrote, whatever - meant that he was far less inclined to say something stupid, only to regret it after the words were already out. He didn't want to risk screwing things up with Akane. Silently, he made a solemn promise to himself, that he would always stop and think before saying anything, whether it was with his pad or by signing. Looking inward, wondering if any higher being might be listening, he thought, ‹If you'll please, just please let me talk again, I even promise I'll always think about what I'm gonna say before I open my mouth.›

He made one stop along the way to cash his paycheck, depositing half into his bank account and pocketing the other half. This had been his practice since he started the job with Tofu, although to be fair it had been Kasumi who suggested that he save a portion of what he earned. Most of his own past experience with money involved his pop's philosophy that anything Ranma earned belonged to them both and should be spent immediately, mostly to satisfy Genma's hunger.

The boy shook his head, pushing his absent father from his thoughts. Each visit to the bank brought a feeling of satisfaction at seeing the total slowly accumulate, even though he knew that it was only a small amount in absolute terms. Certainly nowhere near enough to support him independently. Sometimes Ranma felt rather bad when he thought about how much the Tendo's did for him, giving him a place to live, food to eat, paying the fees for school and his sessions with Mitaka-sensei. But he was unable to see what else he could do, realistically, so usually ended up telling himself that he'd try to pay them back someday.

As he ran into the house, Ranma saw that Akane was getting another lesson in cooking from her sister Kasumi. He nearly turned around and bolted out of the house. She only got up the courage to make such attempts about once per month, but the last two times had been eye-opening experiences. Stomach-turning as well. Perhaps he could pretend he had an upset stomach, and ask for only rice and weak tea?

The young martial artist tried to sneak past the kitchen, but to no avail.

"Ranma!" Akane caroled cheerfully. "I made some cookies. Would you like to try one?"

Ranma briefly wondered if he could get away with answering, "No." The look Akane gave him was eager, hopeful and nervous, all mixed together. The boy started making signs to indicate that his stomach was feeling bad, but Akane's lip started quivering and his shoulders slumped. With measured tread he walked forward and sat at the table, eyeing the plate of gray-green cookies dubiously. Kasumi placed a large glass of milk in front of him.

He picked up a cookie and examined it closely, slowly turning it from side to side. It appeared to have been cooked all the way through and there was nothing obviously wrong, aside from the unusual color. As Akane's eye started to twitch, Ranma stopped putting off the inevitable, and bit off half of the cookie.

He started pounding his fist on the table, before grabbing his glass and drinking off most of the milk. Why the hell had she added _wasabi_ to _cookies_? Let alone in so large an amount. Also, he was certain that she had used a cup of salt where the recipe must have called for a cup of sugar. He shuddered, trying to forget the taste by force of will.

"There's no need to be so melodramatic," Akane told him angrily. "They can't be _that_ bad!" With that she grabbed one of the cookies and stuffed it into her mouth, just to prove it to him.

Thankfully, Kasumi had left the carton of milk on the table. Akane grabbed it and poured it down her throat, though she restrained herself from banging her fist on the table as Ranma had done. When she put the carton back down, Akane turned sheepish eyes on the boy and admitted, "I guess they ... weren't as good as I hoped. I wonder what I did wrong?"

"Salt is not same as sugar," Ranma signed.

"But I did put in sugar," Akane complained.

Ranma puffed out a little breath. He then signed, "Point to sugar."

Akane pointed to a blue container. "I'm afraid that's the salt, little sister," Kasumi noted reluctantly. "The sugar is in this larger brown container." Turning to the young man, Kasumi apologized. "I'm sorry, Ranma-kun. I must have looked away for a moment."

Ranma shrugged. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as the first time. No one had thought to warn him that night, and he had violated his mouth with a large serving. After running from the table in order to spit it out, he had been ill for the rest of that night.

Ranma's hands signed, "Why wasabi?"

Akane blinked. "But you said you liked spicy food! Remember? A couple of nights ago? When Kasumi made curry?"

Ranma looked helplessly at the innocent expression on her face. He managed to pass over a couple of idiotic responses, before arriving at the safer, "Spicy is good for curry. Not so good for cookies. Or not so much."

Akane looked at the plate of cookies with determination. "I'll get it right one of these times." Ranma swallowed heavily, wondering if he could convince Kasumi to give him advance warning of the next occasion, so that he could disappear from the house on an extended errand.

Any further thoughts about the cookies were interrupted by the ringing of the bell. Realizing that Ryoga must have arrived, Akane tossed her apron aside, and both she and Ranma went to the front door. As expected, Ryoga was standing there, bandanna on his head and carrying an umbrella, but without the huge pack worn on previous occasions. He also looked nervous, but some of that cleared up on seeing their faces.

"Oh, good!" Ryoga exclaimed in relief. "This is the right place. I didn't really recognize it in daylight."

Akane's eyebrows drew together at this reminder of the last time Ryoga was here, but she forbore to say anything. Ranma held a hand out toward the side of the house, indicating that they should proceed in that direction. Stepping around the corner of the house, the three of them walked across the lawn and into the dojo, where Ryoga paused to take an appreciative look around him.

Ranma walked inside a little further, then turned and faced Ryoga. He signed to Akane, "I'll go first. Then you can have a turn."

Akane turned to Ryoga to translate. "Ranma says that he'll fight you first, then it'll be my turn." She paused, then added on her own account, "Another thing - no thrown weapons in the dojo. If you want to fight that way, you can wait and do so sometime when you're out in a larger open space."

Ryoga nodded his acceptance, realizing that Akane would not want her dojo to be damaged, then reinforced the nod with a shrug and a nonchalant, "Yeah, sure." He laid his umbrella to one side of the door, and resolved to leave his bandannas on his head and his belt around his waist. He took his place, facing Ranma, and raised his fists to a ready position. His therapist might have brought him to the point of admitting that maybe, just maybe, Ranma wasn't to blame for _all_ of his troubles, but Ryoga was still looking forward to a little stress relief.

Akane watched the ensuing bout with interest. Ranma flowed around Ryoga's strikes like smoke, dodging many and using minor deflections to make most of the rest miss, while landing a continuous barrage of rapid fire bursts which staggered but never quite felled the lost boy. Every now and then Ranma would miscalculate by a fraction and one of Ryoga's blows would send him flying through the air to slam against he far wall of the dojo. But each time Ranma bounced right back, eager and determined to return to the match. The ceaseless pounding was clearly taking its toll on Ryoga, as the precision of his attacks began to suffer.

Although Akane had long since come to the reluctant conclusion that Ranma held back when he sparred with her, she was now forced to realize with a deepening sense of chagrin that he must have been holding back even more than she realized. She felt a familiar rush of anger at the thought but then caught her breath, annoyed at the automatic reaction. An image of her counselor formed in Akane's imagination, frowning over the brief flash of temper, causing the girl to look down in embarrassment. She transmuted the thought of pounding her boyfriend for treating her too delicately into a fierce desire to become good enough, eventually, to pound him in a fair fight.

Ranma was having the time of his life. True, some of those punches hurt like hell, but he was accustomed to that from a lifetime of training. Akane was very good, and rapidly getting better, but it was going to take at least another several months of his intensive training before she could give him as good a workout as Ryoga was doing right now. Ranma wondered if either of the other two realized just how much he was holding back in this fight, as he gave more concentration to wearing Ryoga down before Akane's turn.

The one point of regret for Ranma was that he couldn't shout insults at his opponent. Sparring against a rival like Ryoga felt incomplete when verbal assaults were not traded as well, though there was little to be done about it. A properly timed insult could be the deciding factor in a fight, pushing one's opponent just enough off balance to get in the winning blow, and it was a skill in which Ranma had been trained from a young age. For a moment he considered pulling out his pad and writing some insults while dodging blows, but had a vague idea that Akane might not approve.

Ranma allowed Ryoga to throw him across the dojo, giving himself a chance to massage a little life back into an elbow which had connected with what felt like a jawbone made of iron. As he dove back into the fray, their guest gave him a small opening which was just too good to resist. Consequently, Ryoga found himself flying across the dojo from a kick to his gut which might as well have been delivered by a mule. He tried unsuccessfully to drag air into his lungs, and despairingly watched the world dim around him.

A moment later Ryoga regained his senses, spluttering, shaking water out of his eyes. Consciousness roared back as it struck him that he was still human, despite the feel of water on his face. "What? What? But that was water. Why am I still ... me?" He managed to sit up, looking a bit dazed.

Akane answered, "It was hot water. Well, warm, really. We always keep some on hand in the dojo when we're sparring, because of Ranma's own curse. We started when he half knocked himself out on the ceiling trying a new variation on one of his kata, and I tossed some cold water on him from a water bottle."

"Oh." Ryoga nodded, glad that he wasn't hallucinating, at least. He started to struggle to his feet. "So, uh, your turn now, huh?"

Ranma reached out and pushed him back down, making a couple of signs. Akane didn't bother to translate the insult, using her own words instead. "You were just knocked out, Ryoga! At least make sure that you're fully awake again. Besides, you just had a hard workout with Ranma. Take a few minutes to rest."

Ryoga hesitated, but then sighed his agreement. He let himself slide into a sitting position, leaning his back against a wall. He eyed Ranma with disgust; the jackass was bouncing around doing a kata, as if he weren't tired at all. Just showing off, though, as Ryoga's trained eye could detect small signs of fatigue. He turned away from the sight, trying to think of something to say to pass the next few minutes.

"Um, I, uh, don't think I've said it before, but ... you know ... I'm sorry ... about that night. I, uh, didn't mean to do what I did." His face was turning bright red. "I was only trying to piss off Ranma. I guess it was kinda shortsighted not to realize I ... shouldn't have been doing that to you." His eyes were firmly on the floor.

"Your behavior was completely out of line, Hibiki-san," Akane said sternly. "Whatever your complaint with Ranma, justified or not, was no excuse to act like that."

Ryoga nodded miserably.

Akane went on. "Please don't think I have forgiven you for it, because I haven't. I'm tolerating your presence for two reasons. First, I want Ranma to be able to spar occasionally with someone he's willing to fight at full strength. Second, you are seeing a therapist, and I am hoping that this will correct some of your ... less appropriate behavior."

"I'm trying," Ryoga whispered.

Akane nodded. She turned and watched Ranma jumping off of the walls, allowing a tender smile to curve her lips.

Ryoga cleared his throat. "So tell me. Are you and Ranma ... a couple?"

Akane spun around, drawing herself up to deliver a blistering denial, but even as the words trembled on her lips she deflated, nodding her head. In a small, hesitant voice, she admitted, "Yes. But it's still pretty recent. Just since last week. While we were on vacation. Before that ..." She paused, uncomfortable talking about this with Ryoga. Akane crossed her arms, as if holding herself, and concluded, "Yeah. We're dating now."

Ryoga looked and sounded confused. "But ... you were sleeping together, in the same bed. Long before then. You told me that you _invited_ him into your bed. Why ...?"

Akane scowled and interrupted, cutting across his speculation with harsh speed. "Mind out of the gutter, Hibiki. If you'll stop to remember, he was a girl at the time. He's always been a girl when he's in my bed, though we've stopped doing that. He had a ... bad experience, when he lost his voice. He needed someone to be close, to comfort him, for a while after that."

Ryoga snorted. "Hard to imagine Ranma admitting he needed anyone. What happened, anyway? How'd he lose his voice?"

Akane looked away. "It's ... his story to tell, not mine. If he wants to. Which I don't think he will. For now, I'll just say that he was attacked, when he'd already been injured and couldn't properly defend himself."

Ryoga gave a little smirk, and there was an unpleasant note to his voice. "So the great Ranma Saotome lost a fight, eh? I'll have to remember to remind him of that from time to time, how he lost his voice because he lost a fight."

Suddenly Ryoga was blinking, trying not to gulp, as he stared cross-eyed at a tanto whose point was pricking his throat. He hadn't even seen the girl reach up and grab it off of the wall above him.

Akane's voice, when it spoke, was full of quiet menace. "If you _ever_ ... taunt ... Ranma about that, I will personally make sure it is the last thing that you ever do. Have you _got_ that, Hibiki?"

The boy didn't dare nod his head. He managed to squeak out the word "yes," whereupon Akane pulled the blade back and replaced it in its holder. Ryoga nervously raised his hand and touched his throat, finally giving in to the urge to swallow heavily in reaction. Pulling his hand back, he found a smear of blood on his palm.

Ranma came hurrying over, his eyes full of questions. He had not missed the byplay with the knife, or the look of fury on Akane's face. His hands were making rapid signs.

"It's all right, Ranma," Akane called out as he drew near. "Just a little ... disagreement. Ryoga said something foolish. I'm sure he won't do it again." She turned and looked at the boy sitting on the floor. "Will you?"

Ryoga shook his head violently, not daring to speak. This girl was _scary_. Suddenly he didn't feel so bad that Ranma had been "lucky" enough to get her, beautiful or not.

"If you're ready, Hibiki-san, perhaps we could spar now?" Akane said sweetly. Ryoga eyed her dubiously, but nodded and climbed to his feet.

Ranma watched the match carefully. His original rationale for training Akane was to make sure that she would always be able to defend herself against any attack. He was already certain that he had brought her to the point where she could handle that pompous idiot Kuno, let alone any lesser threat. As he watched the progress of the battle between the pair in front of him, Ranma nodded in satisfaction. Akane had little hope of _defeating_ Ryoga today, unless the boy made some stupid mistake, but if the fight had been real, she could have held him off long enough to make her escape.

Not that Ryoga was going all out by any means. In fact, he was holding back even more than Ranma himself did against Akane, and Ranma saw signs of anger appearing as the girl realized it. What was worse, however, was that Akane could fight harder than this if she wanted to as well. It dawned on Ranma that Akane had developed certain habits from sparring only with him, and it was putting her at a disadvantage now. She wasn't using all of the weapons available to her. After what Ryoga had done to her, it should have been easy for Akane to target the boy with insults. She should have been more than willing to use low blows against him. It troubled Ranma seriously that she seemed to have forgotten the nature of "Anything Goes."

Well, he'd just have to do something about that. The two combatants had separated temporarily, and Ranma wasted no time putting his plan into effect. Stepping up behind Ryoga and directly into Akane's line of sight, he signed, "What's taking so long? Didn't I soften him up enough? I thought you'd want to destroy the pervert. It looks more like you're flirting with him. Remember what he did to you? You're acting like it didn't bother you."

Akane's eyes widened as she interpreted the signs he formed. Ranma was unable to decipher the look on her face, but it didn't seem to be quite the effect he had been aiming for. He stepped back doubtfully as Ryoga went on the attack again. The boy aimed a casual punch at Akane only to have his arm gripped fiercely, whereupon he found himself flying across the dojo. He slammed into the wall behind Akane, upside-down, then crashed head first into the floor. He wasn't unconscious, but he did decide to wait for the stars to disappear before getting up.

In the meantime, Akane hadn't stopped moving. After throwing Ryoga out of her way, she marched straight up to Ranma. He eyed her nervously, wondering what was going through her head, and only at the last moment spotted the glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes. When she stopped in front of him, Akane's hand came around in a slap which spun Ranma around so that he was facing in the other direction. He turned back around in time to catch a glimpse of her back as she stormed out of the dojo.

Ryoga stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell got into her all of a sudden?" he asked irritably.

Ranma pulled out his pad and wrote for a second. Taking the sheet of paper, Ryoga read, "Something I said to her, I think."

Ryoga looked up, puzzled. "Said? I didn't think you could talk. And I didn't hear you."

Shooting the other boy a disgusted look, Ranma made several signs with his hands. Ryoga nodded, not that he understood the signs Ranma had just made, but to show he now understood how Ranma had "said" something to Akane.

"What now?" Ryoga asked.

Ranma wrote, "I think that's it for today. I'd better go inside and try to talk to her."

"Okay," Ryoga replied. "And maybe next time, we can do this outside somewhere, so I can use my weapons. Your school is supposed to be Anything Goes, right?"

Ranma shrugged his acquiescence, and headed out. A minute later, Ryoga tried to follow. "Hey, Ranma!" he shouted. "Come back here and show me the way out before you go!"

After returning to the dojo and helping the lost boy find his way out to the street, Ranma finally headed into the house, searching for Akane. When he got upstairs, he saw Kasumi coming out of Akane's bedroom, shutting the door behind her. He walked down the hall, trying to get to the door, but Kasumi put a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Come with me, Ranma-kun," she said to him in a tone that brooked no disagreement. They went down the hall and into his bedroom.

Ranma sat on the windowsill, one shin resting across the sill. Kasumi stood in front of him, arms folded across her chest. "Akane told me her version of what you said out in the dojo," the older girl began.

Ranma signed, "I tried to make her fight harder. Is she mad?"

Kasumi's lips thinned. "Akane is more hurt than angry. She is in her room crying, saying that you don't care about her, that you've been lying to her, that she doesn't want to go out with you anymore ... in fact, that she doesn't want to see you again."

Ranma looked shocked. He signed the single word, "Why?"

"Because you've hurt her feelings," Kasumi explained, trying to make the boy understand. "The way she sees it, you've told her that you think that she's a pervert, and that you look with contempt on her martial arts skills."

Ranma's hands vigorously moved through the words, "That's not true!"

Kasumi shook her head. "From what Akane told me of what you said, she has some cause to think that. I suspect you didn't mean it the way it sounded, but whether you meant it that way or not, it came across as words which were meant to hurt. She feels like you've betrayed her."

Ranma signed, "I must talk to her." He jumped up, but Kasumi moved to the side and blocked his path.

"No, Ranma-kun," the girl declared sternly. "Akane is not ready to listen to you yet, so you'll only make matters worse. Give her a chance to get over the initial shock first. In the meantime ..." She fixed him with a glare which made Ranma take a step backward. "I suggest that you meditate on what you said, why it was wrong, and what you're going to say to apologize. Be very sure that you get it right. I will talk to Akane and get her to give you a chance to explain. You may only get one chance." With that, Kasumi turned around and swept out of the room.

Ranma sank to a cross-legged position on his futon, and began the unaccustomed task of thinking about something he had said, trying to see it from another person's point of view. It wasn't easy. Apparently Akane had taken his crack seriously, about not being bothered by Ryoga touching her. At first Ranma couldn't see why she didn't understand his intent, but it gradually came to him that his own father had trained him from a very early age to respond to such comments by trying harder. Apparently Akane's own father had not treated her similarly, and was that so surprising? Ranma himself had not incorporated such methods into their sparring sessions so far because of his inability to talk, and that he could not easily write notes or use sign language while they fought.

So apparently Akane was not used to someone treating her that way while she trained. Ranma shook his head, suddenly seeing a gulf between their training which he had not previously recognized, and simultaneously knowing he must find a way to bridge it. If Akane found herself in a real fight, her opponent might well be more than willing to try to goad her into a fatal mistake with a few carefully chosen remarks. He would have to explain to Akane, and make her understand that this would have to be part of her training.

Yet ... could Ranma bring himself to do that to Akane? He thought about his own feelings for his father, even before the fateful day they were cursed. He ... enjoyed being Akane's boyfriend. For that matter, he enjoyed being her friend. Ranma didn't want her to come to resent him. He perked up as it occurred to him that here was another possible use for Ryoga. If he explained all of this to the lost-without-his-gps boy, perhaps he could convince Ryoga to handle this part of Akane's training. Admittedly, he'd have to push Ryoga into overcoming that shyness that he sometimes exhibited around girls. Ranma frowned as he wondered how hard it would be to do so.

Satisfied that he now knew why Akane was upset, and that he had some idea of what he was going to say to her, Ranma relaxed. If he carefully explained that he wasn't being mean on purpose, then hopefully she would forgive him. As he lay back with his hands under his head, it occurred to Ranma that this had all come about because he had broken his promise to himself. He was supposed to stop and think before saying anything, which was exactly what he hadn't done in the dojo. He told himself even more firmly to remember to keep that promise in future.

Ranma fell asleep while waiting for Kasumi to give him the all clear.

* * *

Ranma awoke to a delightful smell. He sat up, noticing that it was already dark outside. There was a tray of food beside him, which Kasumi had evidently only just placed there, since she was still kneeling on the other side of it.

"Here you go, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said quietly. "I saved some dinner for you."

"Why not wake me?" Ranma signed rapidly. "I need to talk to Akane!"

Kasumi shook her head. "I've had a chance to talk to Akane at some length. I think I have her at least halfway convinced that you said what you did because of some temporary stupidity, rather than any real desire to hurt her. I also told her that you were skipping dinner so as not to hurt her further by forcing your company on her before you had a chance to apologize, and that you were taking the opportunity to meditate on your apology."

The girl sighed. "I hope you have given some thought to what you will say. Akane is calmer now, but how she reacts will depend on what you have to say. Eat your dinner first, then go talk to her."

After his meal, Ranma walked down the hall to Akane's room. His knock on the door was answered with a soft, "Come in." When he opened the door, Akane gave him one hurt look then turned her eyes aside. On the other hand, she didn't order him back out.

Ranma walked across the floor slowly, the realization hitting him that he should have given more thought to how he was going to do this. His pride told him to simply sit beside her and explain to her why he had done what he did. It occurred to him now that doing so might not work so well. Of one thing Ranma was sure, he didn't want to risk losing Akane. He stood there in thought for a bit, pride warring with this other feeling. Slowly he dropped to sit seiza in front of her.

Ranma's hands started gesturing. "I did not want to upset ..." He paused, considering the meaning. His hands wavered for a moment, picking over his limited vocabulary, trying to find the symbols to express himself. With a sigh, he pulled out his pad and began writing instead.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't think. I acted like my father, when he trained me. He'd say anything, as long as he thought it would make me fight harder. That's what I did."

Akane read the words silently. She made no response. Ranma continued writing.

"I know you still dislike Ryoga for what he did that night. I never thought it 'didn't bother you.' I was only trying to motivate you.

"You were fighting pretty well, but you didn't try anything sneaky, didn't insult him, didn't act like he was someone you had to fight off at all costs. I thought you would, because of what he did.

"So when I saw you weren't, I said that to try to push you into it. It never occurred to me you weren't trained like me. I assumed you expected to hear things like that in a fight. I know the words weren't true."

Akane turned her hurt gaze back on him. "And you expect me to believe that it was just part of training? How many months have we been working together now? You've never said anything like that to me before!"

Her chin trembled on the last words, causing Ranma to wince. He held up his hands, turning them slowly, drawing Akane's attention to them. Then he wrote, "At first I could only write things. Even now when I can sign some things, my hands are usually too busy when we're training. This was the first time I've really been free to do something like that."

The next sheet read, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. But sometimes training hurts."

Akane looked down, away from him. "I suppose that means you're going to continue saying things like that to me, whenever we're training." The pain in her voice came through clearly.

Ranma wrote some more, and pushed the paper into her hands even though she wasn't looking at him. Reluctantly Akane turned toward the paper and read, "Yes and no. No, I've already decided I'm not going to say things like that to you. I don't want you to think of me the way I think of my pop. Yes, this must be part of your training. In a real fight, your opponent will say nasty things to make you screw up. I won't leave you unprepared for that."

Akane looked up as he handed her the next sheet. This one said, "I was thinking I'd try to get Ryoga to handle that with you. Having him throw some insults at you probably won't make you think much worse of him."

Akane snorted. "True enough. Although I'm beginning to think he may not be as bad as I first thought. Still, that's not the same as saying I really like him."

Akane turned and looked at Ranma again. Her eyes were still full of pain and sorrow. "But don't you see, Ranma? Yes, it upset me when you said I was flirting with that pervert. That I didn't care if he touched me. It hurt a lot. But that wasn't what hurt the most."

Ranma's hands signed, "It wasn't?"

Akane shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes again. "No. It was when you showed how little you think of me as a martial artist. You don't think I can fight someone if you haven't exhausted him first."

Ranma just stared at her, not knowing how to respond.

Akane spoke again, voice breaking. "I know you're better than me. It hurts to know that. I get so jealous sometimes, but I've also learned what it cost you to get so good. I've come to accept it, more or less. But today I learned that you think I'm so worthless that I can't even spar with someone on equal terms. I think I hated you at that moment."

Ranma continued to kneel there, desperately trying to think of something to say. He hadn't meant it like that! Had he? He had only wanted to give her a shot at looking good against Ryoga. But ... what was the worth of something like that, if it wasn't won fairly? Only, was that sort of thing really important to Akane?

The boy thought back to when he had first started training Akane, and his surprise that she really seemed to care about the art. He hadn't thought very much about it since then. Now he experienced a feeling of deja vu. Once again he was surprised that the sort of thing which mattered to him, also seemed to matter to Akane. It wasn't what he expected of a girl.

Slowly Ranma put pen to paper and began writing. "I don't think you're worthless. I think you're very good. But you're also right that I haven't been thinking straight about you and the art.

"I'd like to apologize right now. But if I did, I don't think you'd believe me. I think you'd be right not to believe me.

"I need to go off and think about this for a while. I need to figure out what's going on in my head. I can't explain to you until I know what I'm thinking myself.

"You're good. I know you're good. What I did today - I think it was because of some other stupid idea I have. Can we talk again tomorrow?"

Akane looked at him sadly and nodded her head. She was glad that he wasn't going to tell her something insincere, just to try to make up. Maybe Kasumi was right and they could repair the damage, if she was willing to give him a chance. She'd wait and see what he had to say the next day.

Her eyes followed Ranma as he stood and walked out of the room, head slightly bowed. As the door closed, Akane pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, allowing the tears to escape which she had been holding back during the conversation.

* * *

Ranma thought hard the rest of that night as well as the following morning. When he appeared at the door of Akane's room after lunch, we was carrying several sheets of paper on which he had already written. Akane, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, put down the magazine she was reading, and motioned for him to take her desk chair. Spinning it around, he sat down in it backwards, and handed her the first sheet.

Akane read, "First, to repeat, I never meant to hurt you, and I do think you're a good martial artist.

"Second, after looking at my own feelings, I must admit that I never really believed that you were as serious about martial arts as me. I never believed that you love the art as much as I do. I now know I was wrong.

"It's hard to write that. My pride doesn't want me to say I was wrong. It's even worse because I feel shame that I wasn't able to recognize that you could feel the same way as me.

"I've trained with you because I wanted you to be able to defend yourself. Because we could spend time together. Because it was fun. It never occurred to me to help you because you wanted to be the best, and you had every right to try to be."

Akane set the paper aside. She silently took the next sheet from Ranma.

"I don't want to make excuses. But I want to try to explain. I've told you a lot about how my pop trained me, what it was like living with him for those ten years.

"But have you ever tried really imagining it?

"Ten years of living with my pop, day after day. Sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere, or in some shack where he could barely afford the rent. Once in a while we stayed at a dojo where I was getting some training, if the master was generous enough to give us a room. Never for very long. Pop tended to wear out generosity fast.

"Day in and day out, practically the only person I ever talked to was my pop. Maybe someone at the dojo, but that was usually about martial arts. Or at school, mostly about schoolwork. But pretty much, just my pop."

The next sheet was handed over.

"Genma Saotome has a low opinion of women. I'm not sure I can tell you how low. He'd insult me by telling me I was behaving like a 'girl.' Pop would sneer at girls who practiced martial arts. In his opinion, they were only playing at it. He'd never consider training a girl, and looked down on the masters who did.

"He always sent me to boys' schools. I think he didn't want me to be 'corrupted' by being around girls. I never talked to very many females before I came here; mostly school teachers or the wives of some of the dojo masters. I could probably count on my fingers how many conversations I had with women before I met you. That's a lie, of course, but it's too damn close to the truth.

"For ten years he poured that garbage into my ears. What was I supposed to believe? I know he's an idiot, but I heard that stuff from when I was a little kid. No one ever told me different, not that I can recall. If they did, they didn't make an impression."

Akane took the next sheet. She had not yet spoken a word. However, her eyes had a shimmery look to them.

"Then I met you. You made a hell of an initial impression. Worthless? Hell no! No way I'd ever think that about you! Pop's opinion of women be damned.

"But that didn't just suddenly change all of those ideas that my pop spent years training into me. Some of them have been changing, thanks to you, and Kasumi, and Mitaka-sensei. But I never ran straight into a brick wall with any of those ideas. Something that would make me take a hard look at them.

"Until yesterday.

"I was wrong. I was wrong to think girls can't be real martial artists. You are a real martial artist. I was wrong to think girls can't love the art. You do love the art.

"I was wrong to try to make things easier for you yesterday. I'd have reacted worse than you if someone did that to me. You have the right to try to win on your own. It's meaningless if I cheat for you. And if you don't win right away, you have the right to take your lumps, and to try harder next time.

"Because you are a martial artist."

There were now a couple of tears slowly sliding down Akane's cheeks. She took the last sheet of paper from Ranma, as he watched her nervously.

"I'd like to promise that I'll never think like that, or treat you like that, again. But I won't make that promise. I'm guessing it won't be easy to suddenly stop thinking the way I have for the past ten years.

"But I do promise that I'll try. And that I'll keep trying.

"You helped me, when I needed help the most. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you. Even if it means changing a lot of stupid ideas I've been carrying around."

Akane looked up after reading the last words. She looked into Ranma's anxious eyes, seeing how he had laid himself bare. Seeing the trace of fear in his eyes because of that. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ranma's hands made the signs to say, "Forgive me?"

Akane looked out her window, while she examined her feelings. After a couple of minutes of agony for Ranma, she turned back and nodded. There was a sense of peace about her, which hadn't been present when the boy had entered the room. But there was also a melancholy feel to the peace.

"I forgive you, Ranma," she said quietly. "And I do think I understand you better now. But ..." Akane looked down at the papers in her hands, then back up again. "I don't have an on/off switch for my feelings. What you said hurt me. A lot. I can't just forget it. I need time."

Ranma sighed, then gave her a sad smile. He signed, "I understand," then stood and walked out of the room.

* * *

The following Friday, Mitaka had her hands full trying to console two unhappy teenagers. That night at dinner, their glumness cast a pall over the meal. It was the first Friday in a long time when they weren't going out somewhere together.

Akane didn't think she could bear feeling this way for much longer. She wanted things to be like they used to be. If only she could be convinced that she had Ranma's respect as a martial artist, it might be possible to put all of this behind them. She toyed with her food, pushing grains of rice around with the ends of her chopsticks.

Ranma had spent ten years out on the road with his father, enduring countless hardships. Akane had never trained outside of her own dojo. How was Ranma supposed to see her as his equal, or at least someone similarly devoted, under those circumstances?

The girl paused, her chopsticks stilled, as she chased a thought down. When she finally caught it, her eyes widened slightly as she examined it from all sides. Finally, she looked up and cleared her throat, getting Ranma's attention. Actually, she got everyone's attention, but it was Ranma's that she was after.

"Um, Ranma, it's a few weeks before we have to be back in school," Akane began. "We don't have any special plans between now and then. And you _do_ want to help me to be a better martial artist, right?"

Ranma looked puzzled, not sure where she was going. Nonetheless, he nodded his agreement to all of this.

"Then I think we should go on a training trip between now and the start of school. You can teach me some of the things you learned. Tree-hopping. Long distance running. Carrying boulders. Enduring freezing waters in a mountain stream. And so on."

Ranma's eyes widened, aghast, as memories of his own training flooded his mind. He almost signed, "I can't do that!" without stopping to think. But he did catch himself just in time. He had promised himself to think about things before speaking, well, signing or writing anyway. As he did think, he winced as he remembered his promise to treat Akane as a real martial artist.

He swallowed heavily as he realized that this was the first real trial of that promise. And, oh gods, what a trial it was! To put Akane through some of what he himself had gone through? Could he do it?

Did he have a choice? He had made a promise to Akane, and if he was to keep that promise, then this was what he had to do. If Akane was a real martial artist, then she not only could, but should, endure rigorous training. Having accepted that, albeit reluctantly, Ranma began to think about what he would have to make Akane do. At that point, he automatically began to make mental adjustments to the training his father had put him through, thinking of how to achieve the same benefits without the insane risks.

Ranma looked up at a cleared throat, and realized that Akane was still waiting for an answer. For that matter, so was everyone else, although in truth it seemed more like they were all too stunned to speak. Suppressing any show of reluctance, he signed, "Yes. It's a good idea. We'll take a couple days to plan. Where to go. What we'll do. Then we'll leave." He looked to the head of the table. "With your father's permission."

Akane smiled widely, the first smile Ranma had seen from her in a week. "Thank you," she responded happily, and dug into her food.

Nabiki and Soun hadn't known what Ranma's response was until Akane thanked him. Kasumi of course had been able to read the signs as well as Akane, and was the first of the others to speak.

"Oh, but ... Akane. You _can't_ go off _alone_ with Ranma. It wouldn't be proper."

Akane's lips thinned slightly. "What do you think we're going to do? We've only been on a couple of dates so far. We haven't even kissed yet."

Kasumi shook her head. "It isn't that you can't be trusted. Although I'd like to point out that so far you haven't been in a position for that trust to be tested. But think about appearances! What would people say?"

Akane shrugged. "They've said worse about me, oneechan. I don't care what other people say. As long as _I_ know that my honor is intact, that's all that matters."

Kasumi's features grew stern. "It is still unacceptable. However, I understand that this is something you feel you must do." She turned to Soun. "Father, you will have to accompany them."

Soun looked startled. "Me! It's been years since I was on a training trip!"

"High time then," Akane muttered.

Kasumi clearly heard the low-voiced comment from her sister sitting beside her, and struggled to keep a straight face. "That doesn't matter, father. Akane and Ranma are the one's who will be training. You're going along to chaperon. For you, it will only be a camping trip."

"But ..." Soun tried to raise further objections.

"I'm so glad that you agree, father," Kasumi declared with a smile. "I'll help you to get your camping supplies together for the trip. Some mountain air will be good for you."

Akane was feeling truly happy for the first time since the previous Saturday. "I need to think about what supplies to take along. Kasumi, I'll need to talk with you about recipes to use when I'm cooking outdoors."

Ranma froze, chopsticks a couple of centimeters from his lips, as a look of horror suffused his features. ‹I'm doomed!› he thought.

* * *

Down in Kyoto a man, the owner of a nearby dojo, was paying for an okonomiyaki which had just been cooked on a portable grill. As he raised it to his mouth, he was approached by another man. Like the dojo owner this second man wore a gi, secured with a black belt, but his was in markedly worse shape, soiled and threadbare. Genma Saotome was back in Japan at last, returned from his fruitless search through China for his wayward offspring, and now trying to pick up the boy's trail.

"Tanaka-san," Genma called out. "If I might have a word?"

The first man looked up from his okonomiyaki. A look of confusion shortly gave way to one of disgust. "Ah, Saotome-san, isn't it? What may I do ... er, what do you want?"

The chef behind the grill looked up, startled.

Genma blithely stated, "I seem to have ... misplaced ... my son, Ranma. Have you seen him recently?"

Tanaka looked over the other man. Instead of answering right away, he asked, "What in the devil have you got under that bandanna? A Mickey Mouse cap? And what's with the eyebrows?"

Genma heaved a sigh. "A little accident, pay no mind. Look, I really do need to find Ranma."

Tanaka shook his head. "I am sorry to say that I haven't seen your son since the two of you last visited my dojo. And frankly, if he's finally had the sense to run off, I'm not sure I'd help you to find him if I could."

Genma gave a low growl, but only said, "Thanks anyway." He watched as the dojo's master walked up the street, and turned a longing eye to the grill. If only he had a little more money to spare.

The long-haired teenager standing by the grill took in the hungry look, and inquired. "You said your name is Saotome? Would that be Genma Saotome? And your son's name is Ranma?"

Genma nodded warily.

The young chef grinned, showing lots of teeth. "Would you like a free okonomiyaki?"

Genma nodded excitedly.

Batter was poured on the grill. While it cooked, the chef said, "I have business of my own with Ranma Saotome. I'll let you have this for free provided you allow me to accompany you while you search for him."

The older man only had attention for the delicious aroma in front of him. "Of course! Of course! I'll be happy to have your company!"

* * *

"Are you crazy?!"

It was Saturday afternoon, the day after the decision for Ranma, Akane and Soun to go on a training trip. Ryoga had once again come over for a sparring session, and had just read the sheet of paper Ranma handed him. That paper outlined Ranma's ideas for training Akane to handle anything an opponent might say to her in the heat of battle.

Ranma sighed and wrote some more. "It's dangerous to lose control in a fight just because someone says something you don't like. You have the same problem, you know."

Ryoga flushed angrily on reading this. He almost yelled again, but a niggling voice in the back of his head suggested that doing so would, in a sense, prove Ranma's point for him.

Instead he scowled and said, "Even if _you_ happen to have an evil talent for getting under my skin, I don't see what that has to do with what you want."

Ranma wrote some more, wishing that he could communicate more easily. Then again, if he could talk, he'd probably end up insulting Ryoga, they'd fight, and nothing would get decided. He handed Ryoga a sheet which read, "If you say things like that to Akane during sparring, she ain't going to like it. I'm sure she'll say some things right back. That'll give you practice at the same time. Then someday, if I get my voice back, maybe you'll be able to ignore my insults and concentrate on fighting."

Ryoga snorted on reading this, half amused despite himself. Then he looked up, and there was something pleading in his eyes. "But, dammit Ranma, I _can't_ talk to a girl like that. How do you expect me to do this? It would make me feel like a monster!"

Ranma sighed again, then scribbled for a while. The next piece of paper handed to Ryoga made several points.

"1. Think of it as another sort of training for yourself. Maybe you won't be so tongue-tied around girls afterward.

"2. Akane doesn't like you very much already, after what you did. So this won't make her think much worse of you.

"3. You owe her. You groped her, on purpose, just to upset me. She needs this training, in case she's ever in a fight against someone who'll take any advantage.

"4. I can't do it, because I can't talk. Besides, I can't treat her like that when she and I are, well, you know. I got no one else to turn to.

"5. Please?"

Ryoga's head drooped. The hell of it was, he could actually understand Ranma's point of view this time. That felt a bit unusual, but it was true. He also did feel that he owed Akane something.

"All right, I'll try," Ryoga said heavily. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

The two of them entered the dojo, where Akane was warming up, dressed in a gi. She looked over at them and called out, "About time! Hurry and warm up, pig boy, 'cause Ranma's promised that I get to take you on first today! Then you and Ranma are heading over to a vacant lot to spar, assuming I've left enough of you for him to fight."

Ryoga growled on the edge of audibility over the "pig boy" crack. It was the sort of thing he might expect to hear from Ranma, not from a pretty girl. He nodded his head sharply. Maybe he'd be able to do this after all. Then he snorted softly, wondering if she had insulted him on purpose, just to put him in the proper frame of mind. Ranma's original note had said that she knew what he was supposed to do.

He let his lips curl into a slight sneer. "Okay, little tomboy, let's get to it. No need for me to warm up. You'll _be_ the warm up, for when I fight Ranma later."

Akane's eyes glittered, and she attacked without further warning. Ryoga blocked her kick and the follow up punch, then needed to duck under the kick from her other leg. His own kick missed, as Akane leaned out of the way, but Ryoga spun at the same time and his other leg took Akane's legs out from under her. She hit the mat spinning and rolled out of the way of his descending fist, bouncing back to her feet instantly.

"Can't you move any faster than that?" Akane mocked. "No wonder you don't do very well against Ranma." She bounced back in, both fists punching, one slamming into his palm, the other deflected to the side.

Apparently the girl was trying to goad him into doing what Ranma wanted, Ryoga thought to himself as he fought to keep his temper from slipping his grip. He aborted a kick as he saw her leg rising in time for a block, then attempted a throw which she turned into a somersault that had her landing on her feet. Ryoga realized that her movements reminded him slightly of Ranma, then shrugged mentally. Of course they did. Who was training her after all?

‹Okay,› Ryoga thought, ‹if I'm going to do this, then let's do it for real.› Out loud, he scathingly remarked, "I guess you really are a tomboy. I mean, you prefer to sleep with a girl rather than a boy." Inwardly he winced, almost unable to credit that he had said such a thing to _any_ girl.

Flames roared to life in Akane's eyes. She threw a punch guaranteed to crumple metal when it landed. Ryoga sidestepped easily and nailed her in the side, sending her flying to crash into the wall of the dojo. He remained where he was, while Ranma went over to check on the girl.

Ranma saw that Akane's eyes were slightly open, and she was biting her lip. He signed, "You okay?"

She grimaced. "Yeah. I'll be okay. I'm gonna have a couple of big bruises though. That bastard! Did you hear what he said?"

Ranma nodded. His hands said, "Yes. You knew he would try to upset you. Why did you lose control?"

Akane pouted. "It made me mad, all right? I don't want someone saying garbage like that to me."

Ranma simply signed, "Too bad."

Akane glared at him, then her eyes dropped. "Yeah, I know. I've got to learn to take it. Damn it." She pulled herself back to her feet, then tried a few experimental movements, wincing at some of the twinges.

She looked up and caught Ryoga's eye. Grimly she stated, "Okay, you got me that time. Shall we try for round two?"

Ryoga nodded. Akane began to circle him, looking for an opening.

* * *

Later Akane winced as she lowered herself into the steaming water of the furo. She had a huge bruise on one side where Ryoga hit her that first time, in addition to numerous, smaller bruises. At least she had got a good hit in on him once, which left at least as large a bruise. He had charged like an enraged bull, leaving himself much too open, after she had teased him, cooing, "Can't you fight any better than that, pig-chan? P-chan? Little black piggy-wiggy?"

The later match between Ranma and Ryoga had been something to see. Ryoga had pulled out all the stops, using his umbrella and bandannas in addition to unarmed attacks. Ranma had taken a couple of hits, but escaped mostly unscathed. Ryoga was going to need to replace his umbrella, which had been smashed during the fight.

As the hot water relaxed her, Akane realized that she was feeling a lot better than she had over the last week. Ranma's words to her from a week ago still hurt, but ... it was pretty stupid to think that they were never going to hurt each other, wasn't it? The hurt had faded to a minor thing. He had apologized, and helped her to understand what had been going on in his head. He had made progress in dealing with the causes, without making promises that were impossible to keep.

When she emerged from the furoba to find Ranma standing in the hall waiting his turn, Akane tentatively put her arms around the young man and gave him a hug. Quietly she told him, "I'm feeling a lot better about things, now. What do you say we plan on going out tomorrow night, one last time before the training trip?"

Ranma, though surprised, certainly wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He hugged her also, lightly, enough for her to feel the pressure of his arms. Pulling back, Ranma let a smile light his face, and nodded happily.

Both of them smiling, they stepped past each other. Akane headed down the hall toward the stairs up to her room, while Ranma went into the furoba for his own bath and soak.

* * *

The next night, Ranma was sitting up on the roof, contemplating their date earlier. They'd gone dancing again. Initially it had been a bit awkward, but they had ended up having fun. In fact, he hadn't stopped smiling since they came home. Ranma told himself sternly, for the umpteenth time, that he should get inside and go to bed. They were making an early start tomorrow. But he still felt too keyed up to sleep.

Finally he jumped down and wandered inside, spying the three packs lined up in the front hall. His was the largest, although Akane's wasn't much smaller as he had insisted that carrying the weight was part of her training. Idly he started going through the packs one more time, checking on everything, trying not to get anything in Akane's out of place. After all, he didn't want her thinking he'd been rummaging through her underwear or anything.

The boy paused as he came to a box filled with a variety of spices and other ingredients such as salt, sugar, baking powder and more. The staples, such as the rice, were divided evenly among all of the packs. He shuddered as he imagined what Akane could do with items like these. As he stared at the box glumly, Ranma started to get a glimmer of an idea.

The biggest problems Akane seemed to have, from the few occasions he had been subject to her efforts, were accidentally using the wrong ingredient or over-enthusiastically using unexpected ingredients in the dish she was preparing. What would she do if she had almost no extra ingredients to choose from? No doubt she would still make mistakes, but the scope for those mistakes would at least be greatly reduced. Their meals might end up being pretty bland and too much of the same old thing, but considering the alternative that actually sounded pretty good.

Ruthlessly Ranma started pulling out most of the spices and other things. Mushrooms, wasabi, sugar, vinegar, and many other things were set aside to be hidden in the kitchen before he sought his bed. He paused, and on second thought picked the wasabi back up and put it in his own pack. It might be useful for hiding the taste of anything which turned out badly after all.

Satisfied with his effort, Ranma carefully placed the nearly empty box back into Akane's pack and sealed it back up. Collecting everything he had removed from her pack, he carried the armful into the kitchen and carefully stored them, hoping that neither Akane nor Kasumi would notice before they got out the door. Feeling considerably cheered, the teenager headed upstairs and was soon asleep.

* * *

The next morning, as they settled back into their seats on the train, Akane remarked in a bubbly voice, "Next stop, the Hida Mountains."

* * *

**Author's note:**

I've added a new page to my web site, titled "Names." It gives the names of the major characters in kanji, kana and romaji as they actually appear in the manga. I intend to gradually update it with names of places and minor characters. Naturally, the kanji and kana forms of the names require that your computer be configured to display Japanese characters in your browser.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	12. The Evil Wakes

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 12. The Evil Wakes**

In Osaka, the young okonomiyaki chef looked up from the portable grill as the man she had met, still wearing his gi, walked up the street. When he was close enough, the teenager asked, "Any luck this time?"

Genma shook his head, appearing faintly angry. "No, dammit. They haven't heard of the boy either. I'm thinking we might try working our way to Tokyo after all. I don't think he'd go there; he knew that was where I was taking him when he ran off. On the other hand, I know several people there. One of 'em might of heard something. If not, I'll want to try Hokkaido, and check some places along the way."

The chef sighed, wondering once more whether to strike out alone. Though only after ... dealing ... with the _present_ concern, of course. Still, the fat man represented one of the best chances in years to track down Ranma Saotome. For the moment, it was probably worth a little more patience.

Genma was intently watching another okonomiyaki cooking, when the question was asked which had been repeated too many times already. "So what's up with the ears and the eyebrows? You keep avoiding the subject."

"None of your business, boy," Genma growled, grimacing with annoyance. "I told you, it was an accident." Now that his attention was drawn to it, he could feel the bandanna slipping. No doubt his companion had noticed, thus inspiring the question. Genma pulled it off and then retied it, yanking the knots tight with vindictive ferocity.

Watching the man fiddle with the bandanna, the young chef could not help but wonder what sort of accident could give one such large, round, black-furred ears. Especially when the rest of his hair was almost pure white, although relatively short and looking rather like fur as well. And those enormous black, bushy eyebrows! They made almost a half circle around the man's eyes. Frankly, it almost looked like he was wearing the top half of a panda's head. Bizarre.

Another shrug. Genma Saotome wasn't the only one keeping secrets. The teenager behind the grill wondered if the man would _ever_ realize that he had never yet asked for, or received, a name. Genma seemed quite content to simply use "boy" as his only form of address for his companion. Ukyo Kuonji could not repress a small snicker at the thought.

* * *

Akane rotated her aching shoulder wearily. She was sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree, beside a trail high up in the mountains. Her heavy pack was on the ground at her feet. They had only been hiking up the mountain for half a day so far, but she was as tired as if she had been walking nonstop for several days instead.

Her father was lying on the ground nearby, panting with exhaustion, though he claimed it was the altitude. Once again Akane gave silent thanks to her sister Kasumi for insisting that their father come along to chaperon. Ranma was willing to take regular breaks to allow Soun to rest and recover. Akane was in much better shape than her father, so the breaks taken for his sake meant that for her the hike was merely very exhausting, rather than an agony. If he hadn't been along, Akane was sure that Ranma wouldn't have rested nearly as much.

It also made her worry, more than a little, about what was coming in the days ahead. When her father would be resting at ease back in the camp, while Ranma had her off somewhere training.

Akane cast an envious eye at Ranma, who was in the process of climbing a tree to get a look around. _With_ his heavy pack still on his back. Not to mention that he was currently female due to a brief shower which had fallen shortly after they'd gotten off the train.

Ranma jumped from the tall tree down to the ground, landing lightly beside Akane. He signed, "I was here two years ago. Exactly like I remember. At this speed, we reach the campsite in two hours." Although he was currently a girl, one slightly shorter and more rounded than Akane, the wicked grin he flashed was exactly the same as the one which occasionally graced his male features. "Then we have to set up camp. Clear the area, pitch tents, dig latrine, gather firewood, ..."

Akane held up her hands. "Stop, please! Doing it will be bad enough, I don't want to hear about it as well."

Ranma turned and eyed Soun carefully. Turning back, he signed. "Your father needs more rest. _You've_ rested enough. Train now. Stand on hands on this tree." He pointed to the trunk on which she was sitting.

Groaning, Akane climbed wearily to her feet. Before she could put her hands on the trunk, Ranma stopped her. He pointed to her waist and signed. "Put shirt in pants first. Unless you want it to fall around shoulders."

Akane gave him a scowl, but took a moment to tuck in her shirt. She then did a creditable handstand on the trunk. "Like this?" she called out.

Ranma took off his backpack. He flipped and did a handstand on the ground with one hand, so that he was rightside-up to Akane, then used his other hand to sign. "Yes. Now hold still." He flipped back to his feet, lifted Akane's heavy pack, jumped up onto the tree beside her, and carefully balanced the pack on the soles of her feet.

"Hey!" she shouted. "What are you doing?" She grunted with effort. "That's heavy you know!"

Ranma did his one-hand handstand again, then signed. "Good. So far. Now walk."

"You've got to be kidding!"

Ranma sighed. He lifted his pack from the ground and tossed it into the air. He quickly did a handstand on the log a short distance from Akane, and caught his pack on his feet without dropping it. He then walked on his hands up and down the log, demonstrating. A kick of his legs tossed the pack into the air again, which he caught as he flipped back to his feet on the ground.

"There's no way I can do that!" Akane complained. "I'm barely holding it up while staying in one place."

Grumbling mentally because he couldn't just talk to her, Ranma once more inverted himself to sign, "Start walking, or I'll tickle you." He jumped back up and walked toward her menacingly.

"You wouldn't dare!" She watched him come closer, hands extending. "Okay, okay! I'll try!"

Ranma paused. Akane managed to slide one hand over a short distance, carefully maintaining her balance. She grunted with the effort as she slid the other hand as well. She tried lifting the first hand, but could barely manage more than another slide. Her feet wavered dangerously, but then stabilized, the pack still resting atop them.

As she moved the second hand again, she gave a sudden screech. "Oww! I think I just got a splinter!"

Ranma walked over, put his hand in front of Akane's face, and pointed along the log. "Can't I get this splinter out first?" she ... requested. At least, she tried to tell herself she wasn't whining. He simply pointed again. "Damn slave driver," she grumbled quietly. She slid a hand again.

After about a quarter hour of this exercise, slowly moving back and forth, Ranma lifted the pack off of Akane's feet and allowed her to climb down. The exertion had taken so much out of her that her arms trembled uncontrollably, despite her effort to suppress the reaction. Ranma pulled a box out of his pack, white with a red cross, opened it, and took out tweezers and a bottle of antiseptic. He set the bottle down beside him. Taking Akane's hand in his, Ranma locked her wrist under his arm to stop the trembling and carefully pried out the splinter. He then cleaned and disinfected the small wound, but judged a bandage unnecessary. Besides, the girl's hands were going to get a lot more abuse than this over the next several days.

Ranma lifted his pack and slung it back on his shoulders, then signed, "Time to go." Akane looked at him aghast. With shaking hands she pulled on her own pack and somehow managed to stand, barely swaying.

Soun, who by now had recovered enough to be sitting up, gave his daughter a look of rueful sympathy as he climbed to his own feet. He did not, however, extend her any more comfort than the look. He remembered details from his own training days, things that he and Genma had undergone in the name of training by their half-insane master. Ranma's stories had made it clear that Genma not only remembered as well, but used similar methods in training. Now it was Akane's turn, at Ranma's hands, and the older man hoped that the boy had given careful thought to the techniques he would use. In any event, it was such reminiscing which caused Soun to withhold further comfort. He knew, all too well, that there must be a great deal worse to come. He even went so far as to wonder if his daughter would be able to handle it.

Soun sighed regretfully, knowing that he had never possessed the strength of will to force this level of training on Akane himself. He hoped that she would be able to stick it out, that she wouldn't break under the pressure. He realized that if she couldn't endure this, that if she did surrender, it might well be the end of his dream that the two of them would marry and carry on the legacy of his dojo. He offered a silent prayer to whomever might be listening and started up the trail once more, following behind the two teenagers.

* * *

When they finally reached Ranma's proposed campsite, he turned in anticipation to observe Akane's reaction. He had purposely chosen one of the most scenic places he could remember. However, Akane was clearly too tired to appreciate anything except the fact that her feet were no longer moving. She dropped to her knees, letting the pack slide off of her shoulders to thump onto the ground. With glazed eyes and mind fogged by exhaustion, she tried to take in the view around her.

They were in a dale somewhere high up on the mountain. The ground was mostly rock covered with thick moss, although there were patches of grass and a few other scrubby plants. In front of her a stream widened into a pool, perhaps fifteen meters across at its widest point, which looked glorious to her sweat drenched body. ‹As long as it's not too deep,› she thought groggily. About forty meters to her left the ground angled down, and the stream flowed swiftly out of sight. On the other side, the stream emerged from a set of cascades on a hill, its origin lost among the spruce and pine which grew upon the slope.

Ranma appeared in front of her and signed, "Your father can rest. We need to set up camp." Akane gave him a piteous look, but the red-haired girl merely grabbed an elbow and lifted her to her feet, removing any element of choice.

Ranma showed Akane where he wanted to set up the pair of tents and where to put the fire pit, then left her to clear the ground. She stacked the rocks she cleared from the tent areas around the boundary of the fire pit, but there weren't enough large ones so she had to go find more rocks and carry them back. Meanwhile Ranma was making trips under the trees, collecting and carrying back armloads of wood, which he split into manageable pieces with a small hatchet.

In a little over an hour they had the tents up, and a small fire in the pit with a couple of pots of water heating. A latrine had been prepared down the slope a short distance, beyond some trees and bushes. Downstream from the pool, where the stream made a bend, Ranma had managed to hang a blanket on a rope between two trees. It was situated so as to screen that part of the stream from both the camp and the pool. The water deepened briefly at this point as well, making it about waist deep. The young leader of the expedition had indicated to the other two that this would be the bathing area.

Akane hadn't given any thought to such facilities as the latrine and bathing until now, and she began to hyperventilate with nervousness on looking them over. The last time she had been camping was when she was a small child, back when her mother was still alive. The primitive nature of a camp had not made an impact at that time. Now it did.

Both places were completely open to the air. They were hidden, somewhat, from a person who was at the camp, but weren't hidden at all from other angles. There were no doors to close, no "occupied" sign to hang out as a warning to others. For the next couple of weeks, she was going to be exposing herself on a regular basis and there was nothing at all to be done about it. If anything, she had to be thankful that Ranma was willing to spare a blanket to screen the place she would bathe. In fact, as Akane thought about it, she was very grateful to him for having thought about it at all. She was pretty sure that he and his father hadn't bothered with such courtesies in _their_ camps.

The mountain's shadow had fallen across them, and the sky was taking on a color which showed that the sun behind the mountain was not very far above the horizon. Ranma signed, "No training tonight. Take bath. I start dinner."

Akane barely stopped herself from cheering at the thought of no more training that day. She then eyed the stream dubiously. She was eager to change her clothes, which were wet and clinging with sweat, and wash herself clean. At the same time, it meant immediately putting herself in a position where there was nothing between her nude body and Ranma's sight except for one thin, hanging blanket. With a sigh, she gave in to the inevitable and nodded.

As Ranma got out the rice and a couple of other things, he watched Akane disappear into her tent and reemerge carrying her bathing supplies. He wondered if she had yet realized ... but then, if she hadn't, she certainly would in just a minute. Akane disappeared behind the blanket, and Ranma honorably attempted not to think about what was happening beyond it.

There was a sudden ear-splitting shriek which caused several birds to take flight from the trees. ‹Guess she didn't realize,› Ranma thought to himself. A few minutes later Akane reappeared from behind the blanket, hair wet, wearing pajamas, teeth chattering. She threw her clothes into her tent, then stormed over to Ranma. Soun, who was sitting beside the red-haired girl, edged away.

"Why didn't you warn me!" Akane shouted, causing both Ranma and Soun to wince. "That water was _freezing_!"

Ranma shrugged. He signed, "You should always be ready for anything," then added after a momentary pause, "Look up there." He pointed up the mountainside. "See that patch of white?" Akane nodded. "There is a valley up there. Snow in the valley, all year. Stream comes from there."

"Do you mean to tell me," Akane huffed, "that the only water we have for bathing in is _snow melt_?!"

Ranma nodded, not at all perturbed by her tone of voice. He pulled out his pad and he wrote, "You said, and I quote, 'Enduring freezing waters in a mountain stream.' I took you at your word."

Soun had stepped forward to read the paper over Ranma's shoulder. He gave a choking sound and turned away quickly. Akane scowled at her father. He _might_ have been coughing, she supposed.

Her voice still raised, the girl snarled, "_I_ was only repeating what you said about _your_ training. I _thought_ you were exaggerating when you said it. I didn't know you meant that the water was _literally_ freezing!"

Ranma shrugged once more. "Too late now," he signed.

Akane dropped into a cross-legged position, as suddenly as a marionette whose strings were cut. Her anger evaporated, replaced by despair. "Oh God," she moaned. "You meant everything you said about your training. Literally. Word for word. I'm gonna die."

Ranma's eyes narrowed, and he gave her an indecipherable look. "You want to quit?" he asked her with his hands.

Akane's back stiffened. "Not on your life," she replied with quiet fierceness. "I'm going through with this. I'll survive it somehow."

Ranma signed, "I'm going to take a bath now. Food doesn't need anything else, just finish cooking." He stood and walked to the tent for his own bathing supplies. Soun Tendo decided to join Ranma, since he had also worked up quite a sweat on the hike here, even if he hadn't been training as his daughter had.

Soun politely faced the other way from the pseudogirl, while they washed themselves with the frigid water. As Ranma finished up and wrapped a towel around himself, yet another ear-splitting screech split the evening, this time from the camp. "Where are my spices? Where's everything I brought with me to cook our meals? How could I have lost them?"

Soun turned toward the towel clad girl speculatively. Out of the corner of his mouth, one eyebrow raised, Soun quietly inquired. "Your doing?"

Ranma nodded.

"Thank you," came the fervent response, as the older man began to dry himself.

* * *

Akane churned her arms and legs madly, barely keeping her nose above the water of the pool. She felt like a popsicle, and was sure that her lips must be stark blue, even if she couldn't see them. Unfortunately, Ranma had decided that she not only needed to practice endurance in the icy water, but he had also remembered his promise at the beach to teach her to swim. Her progress was slow, but at least she no longer sank like a stone, taking in huge lungfuls of water.

She glanced at the red-haired girl beside her, standing neck deep in the water. Ranma gave almost no sign that he noticed the temperature of the water, aside from an occasional slight tremor which Akane guessed to be the result of suppressing a shiver. She sped up the motion of her hands and feet again as she sank slightly.

Trying to distract herself, Akane gave her thoughts over to all of the things they had been doing since they arrived here. Her father mostly stood on the sidelines and cheered her on, although Ranma had gotten him involved in a couple of her training sessions. There were times when the girl wondered if her boyfriend/sensei/friend was going to drive her until she dropped dead of exhaustion.

At least she could understand the reasons behind most of the training, and Ranma was willing to explain what she couldn't figure out on her own. Building up her strength, by carrying boulders or lying on her back and lifting her legs while Ranma stood on them. They hadn't done a lot of that since Akane was already pretty strong. Endurance training by spending time in the icy water, or going for long runs up and down the mountains while carrying heavy packs. Jumping and gymnastic skills were increased by tree hopping and, since yesterday, doing more complex gymnastics in the trees. Sparring, of course, extensively and in between everything else.

Akane reflected once more on how the first full day of her training had ended. When they had returned to camp, Ranma had been forced to carry her for the final stretch. He had dunked her in the pool to wash off the worst of the sweat and grime, then laid her on a blanket and gave her a vigorous massage to restore life to her muscles. Even after that, Akane had been so exhausted, stiff and trembling, that she found herself unable to crawl into her tent. She had been forced to ask Ranma to carry her into the tent and lay her down. Then had come the agony of changing out of her soaking wet gi, a feat which she had only barely managed on her own. Driven by necessity, she had slept that night without pajamas.

Luckily, she adapted quickly. Although nearly as stiff the next night, Akane had managed to operate her leaden limbs sufficiently to bathe herself and change into her pajamas. Those first nights, as she watched Ranma prepare the dinner, she wondered if he were purposefully exhausting her just to keep her away from the food preparation.

However, this turned out not to be the case. She was allowed to make the breakfast each morning. Unfortunately, she had so little to work with that these meals turned out to be incredibly bland. On the other hand, and Akane brightened slightly at this thought, Ranma and her father had managed to eat the breakfasts she prepared, even if they didn't do so very enthusiastically. It was certainly a better reception than her attempts at cooking had ever received in the past. She wondered once more if Ranma had anything to do with the missing ingredients, and resolved again not to ask.

Akane sagged in relief as Ranma called a halt to the current exercise, and she let her feet touch down preparatory to climbing out onto the shore. Then her shoulders drooped as he announced that it was time to practice the breast stroke again. Akane's lips curved upward slightly as it occurred to her that this meant his arms would be underneath her, supporting her on the surface of the water as she moved her arms and feet according to the pattern he had shown her.

As her arms sliced through the water, Akane caught sight of some of the reddened bumps along them and frowned. Honestly, some of his ideas of training! Two days ago, Ranma had taken her into a lightly forested area and announced that they were doing speed training. He had then broken open a beehive, and told her to swat the bees out of the air before they could sting her. In a state of panic, she had no choice but to make the attempt. At least he had been forced to do the same, and had collected a couple of stings of his own. Then he had repeated the exercise with two more hives!

Thus her days had passed. Ranma would wake her just before dawn for a light sparring session. Then she would make breakfast for the three of them. After that was insane training until darkness began to fall, with only a brief break for a light lunch. Ranma would start supper while she bathed, then leave her father to tend it when he took his own bath. They would sit around the fire and eat, watching the sky darken and the stars slowly emerge. After washing the dishes and pots, they would sit around peacefully for a time, conversing a little now and then by the light of the fire (which was necessary to see Ranma's hands). They would retire to their tents early, and repeat the process the next day.

Ranma had promised a slight break in the routine for tomorrow, when they would wash their clothes. Akane was feeling a little unhappy that she would have to hang her underclothes out to dry where Ranma could see them, but had resigned herself to doing so. In truth, her modesty had taken something of a beating since they got here. Using the outdoor "facilities" every day, sleeping mostly undressed that first night, the several occasions when, sweating heavily, she had stripped off her gi top and continued to exercise wearing only her sports bra above the waist. Akane knew that she was becoming accustomed to a small degree of exposure which she would never have tolerated back in Nerima.

Akane felt Ranma's arm encircle her waist, towing her toward the shore. With a sigh she relaxed into the embrace, gratified to know that the water torture was over with for the day. Well, except for the sparring session later, when he could be counted on to toss her into the shallow end of the pool every time she let her guard down too much.

* * *

They were playing following the leader through the trees, and this time Akane was the leader. She laughed gaily as she spun around a branch twice, before flipping off to the next branch. Ranma was only a short distance behind her, copying each of the moves she made. Akane blew a kiss at a startled squirrel as she jumped to the next tree, and managed to get a glimpse behind herself in time to see that Ranma had copied the kiss.

As Akane's fingertips touched the next branch she had chosen, she saw with a shock that the leaves she had subconsciously noted at its end actually belonged to a branch hanging down from above. Before any reaction to this thought could form in her mind, her hands were already closing around the branch, and an ominous crack sounded. The dead branch split off of the trunk and she was falling.

Even a martial artist as skilled as Ranma was required to pay some heed to the requests of gravity. Akane certainly had no choice. There was nothing between her and the ground below, which at this point was a steep slope. It leveled off about ten meters further down, and the girl managed to flip herself around to land feet first, hoping that she could manage a combination of a run and a skid down the slope to where it flattened.

She almost made it. Unfortunately one of her feet slipped on a loose rock and she completed the last two meters on her rump. She managed to restrain herself to an outraged grunt, then achingly stood and put her hands to her battered rear. To her dismay, she felt tears in her pants through which her fingers encountered skin. When she brought her hands back around, there was blood on the fingertips.

Ranma landed lightly beside her and signed, "Let me see." Blushing furiously, but knowing it was necessary, Akane stood still while he stepped behind her for a look. He stepped back in front, and his hands said, "Pants are beyond repair. Damage to you is not so bad. Need to wash out the dirt, and apply some bandages. Hop on."

He turned his back to her, and stooped slightly. Akane climbed onto his back, whereupon he stood and ran rapidly to the camp. When they arrived, Soun was nowhere in sight. This was not so surprising, as he had taken to going on long hikes during the day for the sheer pleasure of it. After all, he had little else to do with his time.

Ranma grabbed a pot and a towel, then took Akane to the pool. Standing behind her, he scooped up a potful of water and, without any concern for her modesty, ripped off the remains of her pants and underpants. Akane yelped, covering herself in front even though no one was there to see, and yelped again as the cold water was poured on her bottom to wash away the worst of the dirt. Ranma patted her dry with the towel, then placed it on her rear holding the ends out to the side, where Akane grabbed them and tied the towel around herself.

Ranma scooped up another potful of water, then pointed to Akane's tent. The young woman sighed, and walked over to it, wincing with each step. She entered the tent and lay down on her stomach, knowing what was coming. Ranma joined her a moment later, having stopped off to grab the first aid kit from his pack. On coming in, he left the tent flap wide open to admit the bright daylight.

The boy tapped Akane on the shoulder. Looking back, she saw him sign, "You know what I have to do, right?" She nodded grimly without speaking, then looked back at the ground, trying unsuccessfully to ignore what was happening behind her.

Ranma pushed up the towel, then gently washed the cuts, being careful to remove every speck of rock and dirt. Akane grit her teeth, trying to keep her thighs pressed tightly together, certain that she was going to die of sheer embarrassment.

She wished that her sister were here to do this for her. She wished it was the middle of the night and pitch black so that nothing could be seen. Except, of course, then he couldn't tend her because he wouldn't be able to see. In any case her wishes were useless. The only one who was present to help her was Ranma. It was not only bright daylight, but the tent flap had been left open so that he could have the maximum light to work by. Her uncovered state was inciting a terrible urge to turn around and clobber him, an urge which Akane suppressed only with the greatest difficulty.

The young woman gave a whimper, which had nothing to do with pain, at the light stroke of his fingers along her bottom. As Ranma gently applied the antiseptic, with its slight sting, a barely audible moan escaped her mouth. Akane bit down hard on her lip to prevent any further sound from emerging. Ranma applied a handful of adhesive bandages, then picked everything up and left the tent, closing the flap behind him.

Akane lay there for several minutes after Ranma left, trying to collect her scattered thoughts. She reflected on how surprisingly gentle his touch had been. With a sigh, she rolled over at last, retrieving some new clothes from her pack. As she pulled them on, the young woman thought about the number of dates she and Ranma had been out on, and decided they had now gone out together enough that on their next date they could experiment with a kiss. Akane lay there for a while, trying to ignore the pain from behind, as she puzzled over how she was going to get Ranma to suggest it.

* * *

Soun Tendo had brought a quantity of sake along with him for the trip. Neither Ranma nor Akane had complained about this, since he had carefully rationed himself every day. Unfortunately, he had rationed himself _too_ well, and as the trip drew toward a close the man found that he had a surplus remaining.

The two teenagers had returned to camp that evening to find Akane's father thoroughly plastered. Deeming it useless to try to feed him, Ranma had helped the older man into the tent and left him there, passed out. Just as the young couple began to eat their dinner, the sky opened up and a heavy rain began to fall. They scampered inside their tents to finish eating, though Ranma came back out into the rain to do the washing up.

On reentering the tent, the red-haired girl found Soun sprawled across both bedrolls, snoring like a buzz saw. With difficulty, Ranma roused the man halfway to consciousness, except he started blubbering, and draped his arm across Ranma's shoulders. He sobbed drunkenly about his deceased wife, his missing friend, how the schools would never be joined. When Ranma tried to get him to shut up and go back to sleep, Soun collapsed across both bedrolls again.

In disgust, Ranma rolled his stuff up, then darted out of his tent and over to Akane's, where he quickly slipped inside and closed the flap against the rain. A flashlight came on and pointed itself at him.

"What are you doing in my tent, Ranma?"

Ranma signed, "Listen." As they sat there quietly, Akane could just hear her father's voice singing drunkenly over the steady beat of the falling rain.

Ranma's hands moved through the words, "Can I sleep here? I'm already a girl."

Akane thought about it. It wasn't so very long ago that Ranma had slept in her bed every night as a girl, and even less time had passed since he had ceased doing so altogether. She did trust him, and the circumstances were unusual. Akane also realized, as she reflected on those past nights, that she missed the comfort of Ranma's company in her bed.

"All right," she whispered, trying to make her voice sound serious so as to hide how ready she was to agree. "As long as you're a girl, I guess it's okay."

Ranma snuggled down beside Akane, feeling happy. The drumming of the rain on the tent soon put them both to sleep.

* * *

The rain was the forerunner of a thunderstorm, which struck in the hours halfway between midnight and dawn. The three residents of the camp slept on, unheeding. The storm swept in to cover mountaintops and valleys for a great distance all around, full of fury. Among those mountains was one several kilometers from the camp which an observer, had there been one, would not have immediately thought different from any of the others. Nor did the storm treat it any differently, as it battered itself against the unyielding stone. However, if one looked closely, one could have seen a boulder embedded on the side of this particular mountain, a boulder covered by sutras, around which the wind and rain were howling.

The night lit briefly as a monstrous bolt of lightning struck the boulder, cracking it. The heat charred the sutras into ash, which the rain quickly washed away. With a reverberation like the sound of a massive temple gong, the boulder split apart, the halves falling to either side. A dark hole was revealed, a cave whose entrance had until now been covered by the builder. From within the cave a diminutive figure crept out, slowly.

This figure paused, standing there. It breathed in fresh air for the first time in two decades, while the rejuvenating rain fell upon its face. As it stood there, face to the heavens, the heavens responded. Another lightning bolt struck, scorching the creature and dropping it in its tracks.

The next morning dawned clear and bright, everything made fresh by the rain. It was the last full day before the planned return to Nerima. After lunch, Soun wandered off somewhere while Ranma gave Akane a final swimming lesson. Although far from proficient, she could now swim after a fashion. Ranma was in the water as well, in his female form of course, swimming beside her. Whenever the pigtailed girl switched swimming styles, Akane was supposed to match him. She was doing fairly well until Ranma stopped quite suddenly, his attention fixed on their campsite.

Akane turned to see a blur of motion passing by the tents. It stopped at the fire where a skinned rabbit was skewered and cooking. Before either of the two teenagers knew what was happening, the skewer was lifted and the rabbit disappeared whole into the creature's maw. A moment later, the bones were spit out upon the ground.

Ranma saw red. He was hungry and had been looking forward to eating that rabbit, not to mention that he was the one who had caught, skinned and cooked it. Now this, this _thing_, had come along and stolen it! He leaped from the water, too angry to consider his appearance. As he ran toward the figure, it spied him and jumped to meet the charge. In mid leap it gave a happy cry of "Sweet-o!" before latching onto the front of the girl's swimsuit. In shock, Ranma felt two small hands squeezing his ample bosom.

He looked down at what appeared to be an ancient dwarf, fastened securely to his chest. Ranma tried to punch the pervert, but it dropped to the ground just in time for the punch to miss. As his eyes locked on the old creature for another attempt, Ranma saw that it was holding a piece of cloth, rubbing it against his face. At the same time, Ranma felt a distinct draft and looked down to see that his swimsuit was missing.

Embarrassment and fury both boiled up inside. Ranma grabbed the water which had been heating by the fire awaiting the end of the swimming lesson and threw it over himself, changing into a nude male. He then dove into the tent to grab a pair of pants. As he pulled them on and jumped back outside, he heard a shriek.

When Ranma had thrown the water over himself and changed back to a boy, Akane had spun around where she was still standing in the pool. Her cheeks were flaming over the view she had just been given. With her back to the camp, she did not see Ranma enter his tent, or the creature turn in her direction.

Akane felt a brief sliding sensation on her skin and then a hand groped her chest from the side. Her bare chest, she saw as she looked down. Her own suit had disappeared just like Ranma's. She shrieked, dropping to neck depth in the water, and simultaneously slamming an elbow down. Unlike Ranma's, her strike connected, and she felt the hand release its grip on her body.

Akane looked around herself nervously, scared to death that the pervert might still be in the water with her, and worried about what it might try to do. She saw Ranma running down toward the water's edge. Trying to cover her body as best she could in the clear water, she shouted, "Get my towel!"

Ranma skidded to a stop, looking around quickly. He spotted the towel, picked it up, and moved to toss it to Akane. He aborted the movement just in time as she yelled, "Don't _throw_ it!" When she saw that he still held it, she pointed out, "If you throw it, I'll have to reach up to grab it, dummy! Turn around, and hold it out behind you!"

Ranma edged backward as close as he could to the water without entering it, then held the towel as far behind himself as he could. Akane crawled up to the bank, then surged up to grab the towel and wrap it around herself. She sighed with relief once she had it tied in place.

"What the hell was that?" Akane complained loudly.

Ranma shrugged his shoulders. His eyes were scanning the pool and nearby grounds. He hadn't seen the dwarf come up out of the water after Akane hit it. Could the pervert have drowned?

"I'm going to get some clothes on," Akane huffed. She stomped into her tent, closed the flap, and peeled off the towel. Pulling clothes out of her pack, she quickly dressed. When she turned around to pick up the towel, she saw the pervert in the tent behind her.

"Aaaahh!" she screamed. She tried to crush the dwarf, but he bounced around her fists and back out the flap. Akane remained for a moment on her hands and knees, breathing hard, chin trembling, as she realized that the creature had been in the tent with her while she was nude.

When she gathered the courage to poke her head out of the tent, Akane saw Ranma chasing the old man all over the dale. He was being wholly unsuccessful in his attempts to catch the pervert. Once Akane got her heart rate back under control and allowed anger to push out her fear, she joined in the chase as well. Equally fruitlessly.

Soun returned from a hike to find Ranma and his daughter chasing something around the camp. When it bounced his way, his face turned as white as milk and he dropped to his knees. "M-m-master?" he wailed.

The old man bounced to a halt, studying the figure in front of him. "Soun Tendo, as I live and breathe!" he chortled. He reached back and casually threw Ranma to the side, forcing Akane to twist away to avoid a collision.

Soun swallowed heavily, forehead damp with sweat. Abruptly, he glomped the old man into a huge bear hug. "Master! Thank heavens you're safe!"

Ranma raised his face from the ground and looked toward the two men. Akane, standing beside the boy, asked, "Master? You know this ... this ... _pervert_, father?"

Soun tried to slip his hands around the elderly throat, but was tossed aside without apparent effort. From the ground he groaned, "Er, yes. Th-this is M-master Happosai. The s-sensei who tr-trained me."

"And who you and that other scamp Saotome sealed into a cave," Happosai agreed heartily. "You naughty boys." He looked around. "Where is Saotome anyway?"

Soun lay where he was, on the verge of passing out from sheer terror, wondering what retribution the master would rain down on his head. Which he would have to face alone. At the master's words, though, he felt a faint hope. "We're not sure, master. We think he's in China. That's his son and heir Ranma, over there."

Happosai gave the boy a dismissive glance up and down before turning back. "How about you, Tendo? You have any sons?"

"No, master. Just three daughters. Akane there is my youngest."

Akane fumed. "Daddy, why are you being so polite to this pervert? Just because he trained you is no excuse."

The ancient dwarf cackled. "Oh, your father knows what's good for him. Stop groveling, Tendo. I'm not interested in revenge. No, it's time for me to train the heir to my school. Which I suppose, by default, is this rather unpromising lad here." He was looking at Ranma.

Ranma was furious. Not only had he been groped himself, but far worse was the fact that this Happosai had removed Akane's swimsuit and groped her as well. Nor had he missed the fact that the pervert had jumped out of Akane's tent after she entered it to get dressed. Now on top of that the old man was acting as if Ranma was barely worthy of notice. The young man's expression made his opinion of Happosai's suggestion crystal clear.

Ranma's hands moved vigorously. "Never!" Akane translated this for the benefit of the others.

"Hmmmph!" Happosai snorted. "We'll see about that. But first, I have to recover my strength." He turned to Akane's father. "You still live at the same place in Nerima, Tendo?" Reading the answer from the man's eyes, he chuckled. "Good, good. I'll see you there. Bye now." He bounced away, carrying a bag over his back. The old man disappeared from view in a matter of seconds.

Akane looked at her father, disappointment clear on her face. She turned a look of agony on the boy beside her. "Ranma, we have to get back to Nerima! Right away! There's no one there to protect my sisters!"

Ranma looked over Soun as well, also realizing that the man would be of no use. The boy signed, "Strike camp now. You and I leave at once. Your father follows at his best speed. Let's go."

Akane explained to her father, then went to pack. Almost immediately she discovered that all of her underwear was missing, but declined to waste time telling Ranma about it. There would be plenty of time during the train trip.

As soon as the tents and packs were finished, Ranma and Akane pulled on their backpacks and took off. They left the rest of the task of cleaning up their campsite to Soun, who admitted he had enough money to spend the night at a motel near the train station and would catch the next morning's train as originally planned. The two teenagers hiked rapidly down the mountain.

They had a little trouble exchanging their return tickets for a late train that afternoon. In fact, they were unable to do so officially. Instead, they found a couple of men who were willing to wait until the morning to make their own trip in exchange for purchasing the return tickets at a discount. This money, in combination with the funds Akane and Ranma had on them, enabled them to buy tickets for that afternoon.

* * *

After leaving the train station in Nerima, Akane and Ranma ran all the way back to the house. They rushed pell-mell straight into the kitchen, startling Kasumi into dropping the cookie sheet she was pulling out of the oven. Its contents scattered across the floor.

"Akane! Ranma! What are you doing back? What's wrong?" Kasumi asked, very flustered.

The two who had just entered were still in clothes they had worn for hiking around the country, enormous packs still on their back. Their eyes were darting around wildly. Akane demanded wildly, "Is he here? Has he attacked you?"

Nabiki strolled in, attracted by the ruckus. "Is who here? Are you expecting someone to attack?"

Akane sagged to a sitting position on the floor, nearly melting in relief. Her sisters were safe! They had arrived in time!

"Akane, what's going on?" Kasumi pleaded, her face twisted in worry.

To her embarrassment, Akane found that she was starting to weep. She struggled for control. "I was s-so worried about you! Th-this morning, a r-really old man showed up in our camp. He was the most incredible pervert. He ... he did things ..." She shook her head furiously. "That doesn't matter right now. He ... daddy says that the old pervert was his master. Master Happosai. He said he was coming here. Something about regaining his strength."

Nabiki shrugged. "Well if he's that old he can't be that much of a problem ... can he?" The last bit was asked more quietly as Ranma and Akane both shook their heads vigorously at the suggestion he couldn't be a problem.

Akane explained. "He danced around us in the camp, toying with us. We couldn't catch him. He tossed Ranma aside like it was nothing. He ... he ... he somehow pulled off our swimsuits and we didn't notice until after he did it."

"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed. "That isn't at all proper."

Akane bit her lip and turned toward Ranma. "What now?" she asked plaintively.

Ranma shrugged, trying to mask his own worry. His hands signed, "I guess he didn't take the train. We have time. Let's clean up and change clothes."

After following this sensible suggestion, they once more discussed what they should do. The plan that all of them finally worked out, over Akane's protests, was that she would remain home to guard her sisters, while Ranma went out to look around. He would keep an eye out for Happosai, while visiting everyone they knew to warn them, and to suggest they call the Tendo house if they saw anything.

Ranma returned a few hours later, having seen no sign of the old pervert. On entering the house, Kasumi informed him that Ryoga had called to see if they were back and whether they would be interested in sparring that coming Saturday. On being informed of the current crisis, he had promised to come over in the morning to help out.

They all went to bed that night feeling rather unsettled, Ranma and Akane especially so. They had no idea when or where this Happosai would attack next, or what he needed to do in order, as he put it, "to recover his strength." It was also very worrisome to think that he might _not_ have been at full strength that morning. Their sleep was restless, and they were in irritable moods as they gathered at the breakfast table the next day.

When Ryoga arrived a little after nine, they filled him in on everything they knew. Which wasn't much. Another discussion ensued in which Akane this time emerged victorious. It was decided that asking Ryoga to patrol the city was unreasonable, as he would likely get lost. Therefore, he would remain at the Tendo home in case Happosai showed up there, while Akane and Ranma hunted for the pervert. Nabiki handed them both cell phones so that everyone could remain in touch, even if any communication with Ranma would necessarily be one-way.

Ranma reluctantly agreed that he and Akane should split up, so as to cover as much ground as possible. He tried to think of what locations a pervert such as Happosai might head for. At first he made the rounds of bathhouses and gymnasiums, asking the people (with his pad) if there had been any trouble that morning. Later, and in considerable embarrassment, he walked down the streets containing the love hotels, adult theaters, less reputable karaoke bars, and similar venues. As he walked he kept an ear tuned for any sounds of disturbance, while hoping that Akane would not learn where he had patrolled.

Ranma's telephone rang. Answering it, he heard Akane's voice, with a bouncing rhythm which sounded like she was running. There were shouts in the background. "I'm over on the east side, heading south! There's an entire mob of girls here chasing him! He broke into some dorm and stole all of their underwear, taking a shortcut through the showers while he was at it!"

Akane hung up, trusting that Ranma had received the message, knowing that he couldn't answer her. That young man took to the rooftops, speeding across the city, angling south and a little east. Before long he caught sight of the mob, and adjusted his path to put himself in front of it.

Ranma jumped down right in front of the old man, snapping a kick guaranteed to send him into orbit. Unfortunately, the elderly martial artist was unbelievably agile for his age and flowed around the kick effortlessly. Ranma swung his arms around to block whatever counterattack would be forthcoming, but was surprised to find a bag thrown into his arms.

Gazing with a puzzled frown into the open top of the bag, Ranma saw that it was full of panties and bras. At the same moment, the girls at the head of the mob started shouting, "Give them back!" and "You're both perverts!" They began to beat him about the head and shoulders.

Not willing to defend himself with force, he finally managed to escape the beating with several bruises and lumps. He saw Akane standing atop a wall, hand above her eyes, scanning around. After a moment more, she jumped down to stand beside him.

"Where is he?" Ranma asked with his hands.

Akane shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know. There's no sign of him. But the last I saw, he was headed that way." She pointed.

Ranma signed "okay," and they took off together in the indicated direction.

Some twenty minutes later, Akane's phone rang. She answered it to hear Kasumi's breathless voice. "Akane, hurry! He's here!" Akane and Ranma changed direction, dashing for home as quickly as they could. They hoped Ryoga would be able to hold Happosai off for long enough.

When they got there Happosai had already disappeared again. After helping Ryoga down from the dojo roof and administering first aid, they got the story from Nabiki.

"Kasumi and I were out in the dojo watching Ryoga practice some kata. We thought that might be safer, since the creep was more likely to look for us in the house." She sighed. "It wasn't though.

"Are you really sure this Happosai is human? He looks like a freaking dwarf to me. Anyway, Ryoga here challenged him, but didn't do so well. When he attacked, the old man caught his arm with a pipe, and somehow used it to throw the guy through the roof. Next thing I knew, my panties were gone. The little bastard grabbed my butt while he was at it.

"We saw him run into the house, which is when Kasumi called you. We called up to Ryoga on the roof, but he said he was all right. Not that I believed him, since he didn't come back down."

"_Are_ you all right, Ryoga-kun?" Akane asked.

Ryoga grunted from where he was lying on the couch. "I will be. Just give me a few more minutes. Threw my back out going through the roof, but Ranma's snapped it back into place."

"There aren't any, er, pairs of underpants left in the house," Kasumi told her sister. "Well, except for Ranma's and father's, that is, and, um," she blushed, "what I'm wearing."

They followed additional reports without catching up to the ancient pervert. Akane spent some time at one point holding and comforting Yuka, after they found her sobbing in the park. Happosai had whisked off her bra and then taken the opportunity to fondle her breasts, ignoring numerous attempts on the girl's part to dislodge him. Ranma stood nearby listening to her tearfully relate the tale, his expression growing more and more grim, a murderous look igniting in his eyes.

When Soun arrived home that afternoon, he donned full samurai armor and promised to stand guard over his two older daughters and the sanctity of his home. Akane and Ranma eyed him dubiously, but this meant that Ryoga could also patrol the neighborhood. They gave him specific destinations which he could find with his GPS device, and whenever he reached one he would call Nabiki on his phone to receive his next destination.

Ryoga was invited to spend the night, and did so out in the dojo. Staying out there was his own suggestion, when he saw that Akane looked uneasy about having him in the house. They resumed their patrols in the morning after breakfast.

Around midmorning, Akane and Ranma heard a commotion about a block over, and ran to have a look. They saw Happosai scurrying down the road with a cloth tied around his face and a bag slung over his shoulder. Chasing behind him were the Kuno siblings, Tatewaki brandishing a bokken and Kodachi snapping at the old pervert with a ribbon.

Akane dove for the old man, but he agilely leaped high over her. Ranma leaped to meet him, but was thrown into the wall of the building across the street for his trouble. This had, however, slowed Happosai enough that Kodachi's ribbon twirled around his arm. Rather than spelling his defeat, the wrinkled dwarf spun in a blurred circle around the Kuno's. As he ran off cackling, Tatewaki and Kodachi looked with crimson faces into each other's eyes from a distance of mere centimeters, their bodies tied together by the ribbon.

Ranma got Kodachi and Tatewaki untied while Akane called Ryoga to tell him in what direction they last saw Happosai headed. As Ranma was removing the last of the ribbon, Akane asked resignedly, "So what did that pervert do to you?"

Tatewaki spoke in grim tones. "A maid entered my twisted sister's bedroom this morning to wake her for an appointment. She found that ... that ... _creature_, lying in the bed with her."

Kodachi looked furious. "The maid screamed. I woke to find this ugly dwarf _touching_ me, in a most inappropriate fashion. I don't know if the creature is truly a man, but it won't be when I am done with it."

Tatewaki added, "This is an insult to the Kuno family! It must be avenged!"

Akane echoed Kodachi's fury. "He also molested me, and a friend of mine, who was very upset about it. Not to mention a lot of others. He's stealing underwear, too."

Ranma looked the Kuno's over, and decided any help was welcome at the moment. He began to gesture with his hands. Akane translated, while filling in the meaning a little. "We are hunting him, to try to stop him. You say that I am a demon. Well, if so, he is a much worse demon. The enemy of my enemy is ... perhaps not a friend, but maybe a temporary ally?"

Tatewaki looked at the silent martial artist in a measuring fashion. It was not a friendly gaze, but in the end he gave a sharp nod. "For the moment I shall put aside my enmity, until the greater evil is dealt with."

Without wasting any further time, the four of them took off running in the direction Happosai had departed. Ranma and Akane took to the rooftops, in order to gain a wider field of view, although paralleling the pair in the street below. They followed a trail of outraged, red-faced young women.

Finally they ran up to a vacant lot, where they saw Ryoga standing, panting, holding a broken umbrella. At his feet, Happosai was lying on the ground, a large lump on his head. Akane called out, "Ryoga, you got him!" At that moment, she felt prepared to forgive the boy his past sins.

Acting more injured than he was, Happosai slowly lifted his head to inspect the advancing troops. With a cry of "sweet-o!" he jumped up, grabbed a hose, and liberally doused everyone. Ranma changed into a red-haired girl, and Ryoga disappeared into his clothes.

"Ha! I thought so!" chortled the old man. "It's a Jusenkyo curse, isn't it?!" He looked over toward Ryoga's clothes. "This young rogue seems to have one as well."

"This ends now, foul demon!" Tatewaki cried, lifting his bokken to strike. Kodachi raised clubs from which spikes suddenly emerged. Ranma slammed a fist into a palm. Akane stepped into a stance, fists raised.

"You think to fight _me_?" Happosai asked in wonder, laughter in the depths of his voice. "After I've had a chance to regain my strength? Fools!"

On the last word an immense battle aura sprang forth from the ancient martial artist, towering over them. The menace struck fear into their hearts, causing Akane, Kodachi and even Tatewaki to cry out and hide their faces. Ranma flinched as well, then found that he was frozen to the spot, unable to move. He noted that the others didn't seem to be moving either.

Happosai cackled. "Where's your fighting spirit now? You can never hope to defeat me, not when all I need is a cute girl, or just her pretties, in order to recover." He held up his left hand. "Seventy years ago this hand was ensorceled, to allow me to absorb chi from females, or even from their more intimate clothing. This gives me a supply of strength which is boundless." He laughed again. "You cannot win. Learn your places and bow to me instead."

With that he leaped toward the still figure of Kodachi and groped her again. He then jumped toward Ranma's female form, but the speech had given Ranma time to recover somewhat. Just before Happosai latched onto Ranma's chest, the red-haired girl's fist caught him, sending him flying over a nearby rooftop.

A short time later, the group of teenagers were all recovering. Kodachi went into a nearby store to purchase some hot water, which she used to restore Ranma and, after he explained, Ryoga. Although Akane turned away, blushing, Kodachi watched with interest as Ryoga hastened back into his clothing.

"What are we going to do to stop that old freak?" Ryoga complained. "That blow I gave him should have left him unconscious for the rest of the day."

Kuno turned to regard Ranma. "Saotome, may I ask why you have not made use of your ... claws, or whatever they are? The demonstration which you gave to me was ... most effective. Not to say chilling. You also put my sister into the hospital, gravely wounded."

Ryoga looked puzzled. "Claws? What claws?"

Akane answered. "He's referring to the neko-ken. It's a martial arts technique his fool of a father taught to Ranma when he was ten. Ranma doesn't talk about it much. Learning it involved a form of torture."

She then turned to Ranma. "And when did you demonstrate it for Kuno?"

Ranma had the grace to blush. He signed, "It was the day after I attacked the boys at your school. I wanted to convince the nut to leave you alone."

Akane shot him a medium intensity glare. "You and I are going to discuss that later. Understand?" Ranma nodded meekly.

Akane took a deep breath and blew it back out, regaining her equilibrium. Her eyes on the pigtailed boy softened. "Ranma? Can you use the neko-ken? It would probably help. But only if you can."

"What is the problem?" Tatewaki demanded haughtily.

"Please, Kuno-senpai," Akane implored quietly. "Don't push. We're asking a harder thing than you realize. The neko-ken normally makes the practitioner ... temporarily insane. Ranma is able to control it if he enters it voluntarily, but ... it is very painful for him."

Ryoga snorted. "Never knew Ranma to back down from a little pain."

Akane turned on him furiously. "You don't understand! It ..." She stopped as Ranma held out a hand. He shook his head sadly. He made a gesture. Akane told the others, "Ranma says that he'll try."

Ranma knelt and closed his eyes. In a way, this was much harder than when he had done it to Kuno. At that time, the memories had been fresher, the pain still very much present. So while it had hurt, in a sense dredging the memories up had not involved an immense increase in what he was already suffering. Now, immersing himself once more in the fear, the agony, after he had managed to put it so much behind him, was quite possibly the hardest thing he had ever done.

Everyone watched as Ranma drew in on himself, biting his lip, occasionally trembling. After a few minutes one last, severe tremor passed over him, and a tear collected at the corner of an eye and slid down his cheek. He opened his eyes again, and brushed away the remaining moisture with his sleeve.

"Did you do it?" Ryoga asked skeptically.

Ranma reached out to where the remains of Ryoga's umbrella were lying on the ground nearby. A casual swipe of his hand, which never even touched the umbrella, left it lying in five pieces.

"Shit!" Ryoga exclaimed with feeling. Kodachi and Tatewaki narrowed their eyes, each reflecting on their own memories.

Ranma made a sign. "Let's go!" Akane announced, and all five of them rose to their feet and began the search once more.

As they sought for clues, Akane's cell phone rang. Putting it to her ear, she heard her sister Nabiki. "Akane! Hurry!" Akane shouted for the others, and turned to race to her home.

Akane was in the lead, with Kodachi right behind her. Ranma had been slowed by preventing Ryoga from running down the wrong street at one point. Akane jumped over the wall to see Happosai sitting placidly on the engawa, smoking a pipe. Her father lay in a crumpled heap beside him, a naginata stuck into the roof above. As she raced toward the diminutive figure, a bouquet of flowers came flying past Akane's shoulder.

The old man wasn't a fool, to think that the girl in the leotard was giving him flowers to show her appreciation. He raised a negligent hand, which somehow seemed to generate a brief gust of wind. The flowers emitted a cloud of gas which was blown back to engulf Akane and Kodachi. They both fell, paralyzed. Akane was right at Happosai's feet, and Kodachi two meters further away.

Tatewaki roared in, bokken swinging. Happosai caught the bokken with his pipe, and gave a little twist. The kendoist went flying through the air to land in a tangle high in the branches of a tree.

Ryoga and Ranma jumped over the wall, taking in the situation before their feet touched the ground. Ryoga shouted, "Get away from them, you monster!"

Happosai smiled in evil delight. Grinning at Ranma the whole time, he slowly slid his left hand across Akane's chest, where her shirt suddenly and unaccountably opened. The hand pushed her bra up on one side. Ranma jumped forward, racing to stop the ancient pervert. Akane screamed mentally, unable to move or make a sound, as she watched the old man's hand reach for her breast.

Two lightning fast martial arts brains made nearly instantaneous calculations. Ranma, grim, determined, eyes as cold as death, knew what he would do. Happosai, watching the boy approach like a bullet, sneered as he saw that the youngster planned to do no more than to slap his hand away from the girl. Even worse, this Ranma had so misjudged his position, that his fingertips were going to miss by at least a centimeter. Happosai didn't even bother to block the clumsy blow.

The old man's brain did not at first react to the report from his eyes, so impossible that report was. He watched, as if it were a dream, or perhaps a bad movie, as his hand fell away from his arm to tumble onto the ground.

Then the blood poured forth, and a scream was ripped from his throat. With incredible speed, Happosai pulled a pair of pantyhose from somewhere unseen and, in a miracle of dexterity, used one hand to tie it tightly around his severed wrist. The flow of blood choked off, but he was left dizzy and light-headed from the amount he had lost.

Then he felt a hand wrap around his throat, and the skin on either side of his neck parted as if knife blades were laid alongside it.

Happosai's eyes looked up into Ranma's face, and saw death staring back at him. Far too late, the old man recognized his danger. Some fool had taught the neko-ken to Ranma! In that moment Happosai fully expected to die, although he tried to beg for his life. "Wait boy! Don't kill me! I ... You defeated me! I'll surrender the title of grandmaster to you! I'll give you anything!"

Then, miraculously, someone spoke to plead for his life, a female voice, calling out from behind the ancient martial artist. "Ranma-kun, no! Don't kill him. Even if he deserves it ... it would hurt you." Kasumi implored the young man, "Don't damage your own spirit by killing someone."

Happosai felt a brief, warm glow inside, that even after all this time a young maiden would speak for him. But he knew it would make no difference. After all, someone in the grip of the neko-ken wasn't even human!

But by some miracle, the fingers around his throat relaxed, one by one.

Happosai's eyes never left Ranma's, and if the look within them no longer held death, they certainly held the promise of endless pain. Furthermore his hand, his special hand, was gone. He wouldn't be recovering from his defeat easily this time. In fact, he could not now restore his strength to be anything other than an old man, ever again. At the thought, part of him changed his mind, wanting Ranma to ignore the woman, to kill him after all.

Ryoga was standing behind Ranma, looking down at the severed hand. He too remembered what the old pervert had said about his hand, and knew why Ranma had done what he had done. Pulling out his belt, Ryoga stiffened it into a long rod with a razor sharp edge. Raising this, he proceeded with distaste to slice the discarded hand into many small pieces.

Ranma started signing with his hands. Kasumi interpreted. "You will leave. You will leave now. You will return to the Hida mountains, and remain there. If I ever hear of you troubling anyone, ever again, I will hunt you down and carve you into pieces."

Happosai trembled and nodded. He had changed his mind once more, unwilling to face death by being sliced apart, and didn't wish to give the boy time to reconsider. Besides, what, after all, was left for him here now? Without his strength, he would be only a figure of mockery if he remained. Weaving slightly, Happosai shuffled out the gate and disappeared.

Looking over her shoulder, Kasumi called, "Nabiki! Please call Doctor Tofu. We need him to look at Akane, and daddy, and this other girl." Turning back to Ranma, she asked, "Could you carry Akane into the furoba for me, please? I'd like to wash the blood off of her before Tofu gets here."

Ranma looked down and saw that the blood from Happosai's amputation had splashed liberally across Akane. Mercifully, none of it had landed on her face. But the shirt and pants she was wearing would likely need to be thrown away. After quickly pulling her bra back into place and closing the front of her shirt, Ranma gently lifted Akane in his arms. He noted that her eyes at least were alive and worried, as he carried her into the house.

Ryoga surveyed the yard, shaking his head in disbelief at all that had happened. He heard a voice call from above him. "You there! Could you ... er, help me?" The voice had started off haughty, but ended on a plaintive note. Looking up, he saw Tatewaki up in the tree.

Ryoga called up to him, "Can't you climb down on your own?"

Kuno grimaced, then unwillingly admitted, "I think my arm is broken. _Again_!"

A little later, Soun was revived with the administration of a medicinal dose of sake. Ranma and Ryoga carried the two girls to Tofu's clinic, while Tatewaki followed under his own power, cradling his arm.

At the clinic, the doctor determined that Tatewaki's arm was indeed fractured, but should come to no harm while he saw to the other patients. Tofu studied the two girls briefly, then mixed an herb with some water and managed to get the concoction down their throats. Once he saw that they were recovering from the paralysis, the doctor turned to Kuno to begin applying a cast.

In a short time Akane and Kodachi were both back on their feet, stretching and moving around, reassuring themselves that they could walk steadily despite some lingering numbness. Ranma was sitting nearby facing Tofu and Kuno, but watching over the girls out of the corner of his eye. Kodachi was looking very sheepish at finding herself the victim of her own drug, but Akane simply looked determined. And quite attractive as she twisted in interesting ways to work the kinks out of her muscles.

"Saotome," Kuno called out. Ranma fixed his attention on the boy more firmly, nodding his head to show that he was paying attention.

"Yes, er, I must ... commend you." Tatewaki looked like he was chewing on slugs. "You fought ... valiantly ... against one who had sullied the honor of my house."

Ranma waved a hand dismissively. He then wrote something down and carried it over to hand to Kuno. "Didn't do it for you or your house. Did it for everyone. But especially for Akane."

Tatewaki sighed after reading this. He spoke heavily. "I do not think that you and I will ever be friends. Or indeed that I will ever look upon you with other than distaste. But ... I will cease my attempts to drive you away."

Ranma bowed. Being careful not to move the arm to which Doctor Tofu was attending, Kuno inclined himself in return.

Turning away, Ranma suggested to Akane that perhaps it was time to go. Smiling, she linked her arm in his and together they walked out of the clinic and down the street toward home. A few minutes later Ryoga ran past them, then skidded to a halt, looking at the couple wildly.

"You've got to hide me!" he begged. "That crazy gymnast says that she's gonna marry me!"

At that moment, a burst of maniacal laughter wafted down the street. With a scream of panic, Ryoga took off running again. A minute later, Kodachi went leaping past in hot pursuit.

* * *

Not so far away, two boys walking down the street were suddenly stopped as one was accosted by an odd middle-aged man in a well-worn gi. This stranger was accompanied by a young man dressed in a strange outfit covered with spatulas. The two teenagers stared with surprise at the sight. The man had the most unusual eyebrows they had ever seen.

Genma asked, "Excuse me, m'boy. Have you heard anything of a martial artist in these parts, about your age, by the name of Ranma Saotome."

Wondering what this was all about, he started to shake his head no when the other boy spoke up. "Wait! Wasn't that the name of one of the people in that ice skating match? Over at Kolkhoz High?"

The first boy snapped his fingers. "You know, I think you might be right. Yeah, that _does_ sound familiar."

Genma's mouth stretched in a broad grin. "At last! So Ranma is a student at this Kolkhoz High School, eh?"

The second boy slowly muttered, "Noooo. The Golden Pair go to Kolkhoz High. That Saotome was one of their opponents. What school was he from?"

The first boy had been thinking about this as well, and suddenly looked up in enlightenment. "Furinkan! He and his partner were from Furinkan High. That's right."

Genma turned away without bothering to thank the two young men. "So! Furinkan High School. At long last, we know something definite. The nerve of the boy! Coming here to Tokyo after running away from me because _I_ wanted him to come to Tokyo."

"And classes for the Fall Term start tomorrow," Ukyo replied menacingly. "Tomorrow morning I will know where to find you, Ranma Saotome." The chilled note in her voice made Genma look up in sudden worry.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Only one more chapter to go, in which we have a long awaited family reunion.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	13. Okonomiyaki Fiancee

**The Silent Horse  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Ranma is traumatized upon his initial arrival in Nerima, leaving him mute. Alternate universe story.

* * *

**Chapter 13. Okonomiyaki Fiancée**

Ukyo and Genma felt confident that they had finally tracked down Ranma's whereabouts. Thanks to a chance encounter, they now knew that he was a student at Furinkan High School. Classes for the Fall were due to start the very next day, which meant that it would be easy to find him. In a voice filled with menace, Ukyo had just declared, "Tomorrow morning I will know where to find you, Ranma Saotome."

Upon hearing this, Genma looked at his traveling companion with sudden concern. "You know, boy, I don't believe you've ever mentioned why you're looking for my son Ranma."

"Haven't I?" Ukyo asked cheerfully as she unfolded the portable grill she carried. She mixed ingredients and poured batter on the grill, smiling grimly as Genma forgot his question, being too busy salivating over the enticing aroma wafting up to his nose. When the okonomiyaki were done, Ukyo flipped them up off the grill. Genma snagged them out of midair and quickly gobbled them down.

As the man fed his face and was thus distracted, Ukyo came up behind him while pulling out her massive battle spatula. Since Genma _was_ a highly skilled martial artist, despite Ranma's tendency to deride him as a fool in other matters, he was not caught completely unawares. He sensed the blow to his head coming in time to ride it slightly, and therefore was merely stunned rather than unconscious when he fell to the sidewalk.

"What ... what are you doing, boy?" Genma asked thickly. He was barely able to hold himself up on his hands and knees.

The voice above him hissed. "The name is Ukyo Kuonji, you fat fool. The one you left behind." The spatula came down again, driving Genma to the ground. Several smaller spatulas sliced into his gi, pinning him down. Ukyo lifted the massive blade again, this time to make a final strike.

Genma looked up in fear, recognizing the name and wondering if his death was at hand. Ukyo herself was unsure in that moment whether she truly meant to kill him, or just maim him severely. However, she had no chance for either, as a voice of authority commanded, "Freeze!" Ukyo turned to see a policeman advancing rapidly. She growled in frustration, but wheels inside of her head were already turning.

"What's this all about?" the policeman demanded as he arrived at the scene.

Ukyo managed to produce some moisture in her eyes, and allowed her chin to quiver just a little. "I'm a wandering okonomiyaki chef. I'm a poor girl who has to send all of the money I make to support my invalid father." Well, sort of, she thought to herself, even if it is the sake that incapacitates the old man.

Going on for the police officer's benefit, Ukyo complained, "I was starting to cook some okonomiyaki here, when this man came up and stole some! He ... he started eating it. Without paying! Then he told me to hand over all of my money or he'd beat me up!"

The policeman frowned. Genma tried to protest, his head still dizzy. "That's a ... a lie. I'm inno-innocent."

"Luckily," Ukyo stated proudly, "I'm a martial artist. I was able to defend myself. I bet if you check his background, you'll find he's done this sort of thing before."

On the ground, Genma paled. The policeman was already pulling out his radio. As he did so, he asked sternly, "What's your name, sir?"

Genma just stared at him, but Ukyo answered, "He said his name was Genma Saotome. He acted like his name should scare me."

The policeman nodded, then gave a brief summary of the information he wanted together with this name. After a couple of minutes, the voice from the radio started speaking, at length. At great length. The officer's expression grew ever more grim as the list of past petty crimes went on.

A few minutes later a couple of other police officers appeared on the scene, to help bring in the suspect. After all, the rap sheet indicated that he had a reputation as a highly skilled martial artist. They made sure to handcuff his wrists and shackle his ankles before pulling the spatulas out of the ground so that Genma could rise.

"You're not going to get away with this, _Kuonji_," Genma growled. Ukyo just waved merrily as they led the man away.

"Now then," Ukyo smiled evilly as she spoke to herself. "Furinkan High School, tomorrow morning. Ranma Saotome, at last we shall meet again!" She laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

* * *

On the first day of the new school term, Akane and Ranma ran to school together, along the tops of the fences. Not that this protected Ranma from getting splashed, but he didn't let his change of gender slow him down. They were both smiling, and occasionally making gestures with their hands, although Ranma had to look back over his shoulder to watch Akane's hands. Anyone who was present and could understand sign language would know that they were making plans for a date on the upcoming Friday night.

They ran through the schoolyard without incident, the hordes of boys who used to attack Akane a distant memory. Even Tatewaki Kuno had peacefully gone to his own classroom, keeping his word to leave the two first year students in peace. On arriving at their own room, they slid into desks beside one another.

At this point, Akane started to feel a touch apprehensive, although she kept the smile on her face. Nabiki, Yuka and Sayuri all knew by now that she and Ranma were officially dating, so it was a given that the word was already spreading to everyone else at school. She wondered how long it would be before other girls approached her, asking questions, wanting details. Akane saw a couple of her classmates turn their regard on her, lips and eyebrows turned up to indicate both amusement and inquisitiveness.

Luckily the bell rang before anyone had a chance to say anything, granting a reprieve until the next break between classes, at least. The teacher entered the room, causing all of the students to rise swiftly to their feet, bowing and greeting him. A boy followed behind the teacher, carrying something. He was wearing an unusual uniform, with a bandolier containing many small spatulas.

The teacher returned his pupils' greeting and then said, "Class, I'd like to introduce a new student ..."

This student set down the object being carried, revealing a portable grill. Slapping batter onto it, a delicious aroma immediately spread through the room. The young chef, dressed to appear as a male, introduced herself. "My name's Ukyo Kuonji. My hobby is okonomiyaki."

Lifting the cooked pie from the grill, she threw it at Ranma, who caught it reflexively. "Ranma! It's been a long time!"

A buzz quickly filled the room, voices whispering to one another, "Does he know Ranma?"

Akane looked over at Ranma, asking quizzically, "Another challenger from your past?"

Ranma shrugged, not recognizing the name. Looking down at what was in his hands, he saw a lopsided face scrawled in sauce on the okonomiyaki. For some reason, this awoke a feeling within him, something strangely familiar. Chasing after the memory, he finally had it. It was the face in the sauce that was the trigger. Standing up, he pointed happily at Ukyo.

The chef shouted, "For ten years I've hunted you!" Grabbing several small, and very sharp spatulas, she flung them at Ranma. Still beaming, he dodged them all, leaping to the front of the room. He grabbed Ukyo's upper arm with one hand, and punched the seeming boy lightly in the shoulder with the other. Ukyo tried to pull away, stumbling slightly as Ranma released her.

Turning back to Akane, Ranma started making rapid gestures. Akane translated for the benefit of the rest of the class. "This is ... Ucchan. He and I were childhood friends, when we were six. Every day he and I would fight. When I won, which I usually did, I would get free okonomiyaki."

Akane paused to ask, "Isn't that stealing?"

Ranma shook his head. Akane sighed and interpreted his continuing signs. "No. We were friends. He'd draw faces in the sauce. Every day he'd have a hot okonomiyaki waiting for me."

"What the hell is going on here?" Ukyo yelled. The teacher wandered over and sat in a chair, putting his head down into his hands.

Daisuke spoke up. "What do you mean, 'What's going on?' You're the one throwing things around. One of your spatulas is stuck in my desk! Ranma's just telling us about how the two of you used to be friends."

Ukyo's voice hissed and she pointed. "Ranma's not telling it, she is!" The chef turned to Akane. "Who are you? And how do you know about all of this?"

Put on the spot, Akane answered, "I'm Akane Tendo. Ranma's my ... um, er ... friend." She winced as she saw amused smiles on most of the faces in the room. "Ranma can't speak, but we've both learned sign language. He _is_ telling the story, with the signs his hands are making. I'm just interpreting for everyone."

Ukyo turned to Ranma. "He can't talk?"

Ranma's mouth formed a crooked smile. He tilted his head to the side and shrugged his shoulders.

Ukyo turned back to Akane. "Since when?"

Akane responded, "It, er, happened in a fight. Back in May. We're still hoping ... but it's been a long time now."

Ukyo shook herself visibly, tossing aside any sympathy this revelation might arouse. "Whatever. That doesn't matter right now!"

Ranma made some more gestures and Akane relayed, "It's great to see you again, Ucchan. I was really sad the day I left you."

Ukyo lifted her massive spatula, shouting in Akane's direction, "How _dare_ you?!" Then she had to swivel from Akane to Ranma, as if it took a moment to remember the one she was actually mad at. She tried to flatten Ranma, who sidestepped the blow easily.

"Hey! What's your problem?" demanded Akane. At Ranma's hand motions, she added, "And, uh, Ranma wants to know the same thing."

In a harsh, clipped voice, Ukyo inquired, "Do you remember _anything_ about the day you left?"

Akane translated some more. "I remember you running down the road after my father and me. But we left you behind."

"And what were you riding on?" Ukyo asked in brittle tones.

Ranma put a hand on his chin and thought. Then his eyes widened and he held a finger in the air. Gesturing some more, Akane told everyone, "I remember! I was riding on your okonomiyaki cart. Why did we have ...?"

Akane broke off her translation, fixing Ranma with a mild glare. "Do you mean to say that you and your father stole their cart?"

Ranma held his hands out to the side, looking baffled. Making a few more signs, Akane sighed and translated, "I only just remembered! I was only six years old! I didn't know my father stole the cart!"

Akane turned to regard Ukyo and reluctantly stated, "He has a point, you know. You can't really blame Ranma for something his father did when he was only six."

Ukyo ground out through clenched teeth. "We had a deal. You were _supposed_ to take me with you. You broke your promise and left me behind."

Akane looked at Ranma, who shrugged again, making it clear that he knew nothing about any promise or deal. She decided to voice her own opinion. "I've, uh, heard a lot about the things that Ranma's father did to him over the years. Even if they did break some promise by leaving you behind, you were probably better off. I mean, he might have put you through the same stupid things that he did to Ranma."

Ranma nodded his head, and tried to pat Ukyo on the back. She knocked his hand away, then grilled up another okonomiyaki and threw it at him. "Ranma Saotome, I have a special recipe I have prepared for my revenge upon you. Prepare yourself!" With that, she stormed out of the classroom.

Looking over Ranma's shoulder, Akane read out loud the message printed in sauce. "Meet you at the field behind the gym after school." Looking up into Ranma's eyes, she stated the obvious. "It's a challenge!"

Ranma nodded, eyes troubled. He was unable to figure out why his old pal Ucchan was so upset.

* * *

Ukyo spent the rest of the school day in frantic preparations, preparations which she had begun before the first bell even rung. In response to a phone call the previous day, a truck had pulled up to the school grounds at dawn and dropped off several crates. Years of daydreaming were about to culminate in a too long delayed revenge.

When Ranma and the other students arrived behind the gym after school, they found a strange sort of ring set up. There was a square of canvas in the center, as expected, but between that and the ropes appeared to be a surface of metal. Ranma leaped up onto one of the posts, wondering again why Ucchan wanted this fight. When the chef turned around to glare at him, Ranma flew a paper airplane in her direction.

Ukyo unfolded the paper to read, "Ucchan - Why are you so mad at me? Why can't we be friends like before? I'm sorry if my pop stole that cart, but I didn't know anything about it."

Ukyo growled. She swung her spatula at Ranma, but he leaped over it. "How dare you call yourself a friend? And _stop_ calling me _Ucchan_!"

Ranma shrugged, seeing that there was clearly no help for it. He set himself in an obvious stance to indicate that he was ready to fight. Ukyo sneered and hefted her spatula. With a cry of "Take this!" she came in swinging.

Over the course of the next several minutes, Ukyo's dreams of revenge turned into a nightmare. Oh, there were small, inconsequential victories. Ranma burned his hand upon discovering that the metal surface was a giant hot plate. She locked him in place temporarily with glue and rubber noodles. She seared him slightly with tempura flakes mixed with gunpowder. But none of it actually stopped him.

Ten years of training. Ten years of dreaming about revenge. Years of planning. Now they were at the moment, but Ranma was still moving, barely slowed down. He was climbing to his feet again, a little singed but still in one piece. As Ranma tore the rubber noodles from his body, Ukyo saw that one thing had changed. Her opponent was no longer smiling.

Before Ukyo could comprehend what was happening, Ranma had flung some of the rubber ropes around her, pinning her arms to her sides. With a casual yank, he pulled her from her feet, tossing her far out of the ring over the heads of the spectators. Ranma leaped after her. Akane jumped after Ranma, right behind him.

A short distance from the school, three figures ran along the top of a fence. Ukyo in the lead was wondering how it had gone so wrong, trying to figure out how she was to get her revenge now. Ranma, running behind her, was wondering why his old pal Ucchan was behaving like a sissy, running away from a man-to-man fight. Akane was just wondering why Ukyo wanted to fight, and how Ranma always got into these situations.

Ukyo saw that they were circling back toward the school, and realized that she wasn't getting away. Making up her mind, she suddenly spun to attack, brandishing her battle spatula. Once again Ranma easily dodged the blow, grabbing the spatula's handle behind the blade, and driving his heel into Ukyo's gut.

Taking the spatula away, Ranma swung back around with it, cutting through the front of Ukyo's shirt and the chest bindings underneath. He even managed to slice the ribbon in her hair, causing the locks to break free and hang loose around her head. Ukyo backed away as Ranma crumpled the spatula into scrap metal, struggling to hold her shirt closed so as not to expose herself. Unable to hold her shirt and fight at the same time, she dodged a kick from Ranma and tried to run away again.

Except that when she turned around, she found Akane blocking the way. The latter had taken the time to dodge around Ranma and Ukyo while they fought, in order to pin Ukyo in the middle so that the "boy" couldn't escape without providing a more detailed explanation.

Well, if you can't move forward or backward ... Ukyo sprung to the side, landing lightly on the roof of the P.E. equipment room. Ranma and Akane jumped after her, but the weight of the three of them turned out to be too much for the aging roof of the shed. It collapsed beneath them, dumping all three into a bin full of basketballs and volleyballs.

Ukyo jumped up to try to get away, but Akane threw her arms around the chef. Ukyo froze in shock, and after a moment, Akane realized that she had two handfuls of breasts. She gave a startled "Eep!" and flung her arms out to the sides, backing away. Ranma, unable to believe what he thought he had seen, reached out and pulled the sides of Ukyo's shirt apart. She shrieked, and Ranma found himself tumbling backward courtesy of a mighty slap.

"You ... you're a girl?" Akane asked, breathlessly. Inwardly she was cringing at the way she had grabbed another girl's chest. Why hadn't Ranma warned her that his childhood friend was a girl? Wait. Hadn't Ranma used masculine pronouns for her?

Ranma handed Ukyo a sheet of paper. On reading it, Ukyo looked up and yelled, "What do you mean, 'How long have I been a girl?' What kind of stupid question is that?"

Ranma held his hands up and out, as if to suggest it didn't seem that stupid to him. Looking back and forth between them, Akane realized that Ranma really did expect Ukyo to be a boy. Suddenly wondering if yet another old friend of Ranma's had stupidly followed him to Jusenkyo, Akane went over to a sink and filled a pail with hot water. She came back and dumped it over Ukyo's head.

Spluttering in anger, Ukyo shouted, "What's the big idea?!" She kicked at Akane, who easily leaped above it, spreading her legs to either side of Ukyo's kick.

Akane's face was turning red as she landed back on her feet. "Um ... just thought that maybe you would change back to a boy with hot water." Coming up to stand beside Akane, Ranma nodded his agreement to this notion.

Ukyo's fists clenched as she stared at them both incredulously. "Does the sight of cleavage make you both _insane_?!"

"So ... you were always a girl?" Akane asked. "It's just ... Ranma seemed to think you were a boy back when you were both six."

Ukyo crossed her arms. Angrily she stated, "And just how the hell could our fathers have engaged us to one another if I was a boy?"

Akane turned slowly toward Ranma. "Engaged?" she asked quietly. To Ranma, the pain underneath the question was clearly audible. He started shaking his head back and forth in wild panic. His hands signed that he hadn't known anything about it, that he had thought Ukyo was a boy.

"Yes, engaged," Ukyo responded bitterly. "My father gave Ranma's dad our yattai as a dowry, in exchange for the two of us being engaged to marry, and Saotome's agreement to take me with them when they left. But instead they ran off and left me."

She scowled at Ranma. "On that day, my life as a woman came to an end. I devoted myself to revenge. For ten years I've trained so that I could have my vengeance when I found Ranma Saotome."

"Don't you think that maybe you went a little overboard?" Akane suggested. Besides ..." She sighed. "I think Ranma's telling the truth when he says he didn't know about it. That he always thought you were a boy."

Ranma's hands were gesturing again. Akane obligingly interpreted. "Besides, how could my father have promised I would marry you, Ucchan? He had already made an agreement for my engagement with ..." Akane broke off, blushing again and dropping her eyes. Her voice hissed, "I thought we had agreed never to bring that up again?" Ranma made a sign of apology to the girl he hoped was still his girlfriend when this dust settled.

Ranma's words were awakening old memories in Ukyo. "Huh. Yeah, my dad told me that Saotome said there was a previous agreement. He decided to ignore it when my father offered the yattai as a dowry. I believe his exact words were something about promises being meant to be broken. At least he was consistent, since he turned right around and broke his promise to _my_ father."

Ukyo turned to stare at the other girl. "Wait a minute! Just what _was_ Ranma about to say, er, gesture, whatever? What wasn't he supposed to bring up about an engagement?" Her head swiveled back and forth. "What's really going on here? Why are you two together?"

Akane felt a twinge of panic now herself, and hoped that the rosy hue of her cheeks wasn't too apparent in the dim light of the equipment shed. Of course, it wasn't _that_ dim, what with the big hole in the roof. "Er ... Ranma's father and mine _had_ made an agreement. That Ranma would marry me. Um, I mean, me or one of my sisters. Except that my father has decided not to insist on it. No one's being forced to marry anyone."

Ranma was trying hard to think of some way to deal with this situation. He felt sorry for Ukyo, but ... what could he do? He wasn't going to let her kill him. He wasn't going to marry her. He couldn't go back in time and stop his pop from making that promise, stealing the cart, or leaving Ukyo behind. He felt helpless, a feeling he did not at all care for.

Ukyo clutched her shirt and watched warily as Ranma stepped forward, stopping a meter in front of her. He bowed deeply. He turned and caught Akane's eye, then turned back and started making those gestures with his hands again. Speaking in sign language, Ukyo now recognized.

Akane began speaking, letting Ukyo know what Ranma was saying. "Ucchan ... Ukyo, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry for what my father did to you. I don't know what else to do, except to apologize. I wish that I could make it up to you somehow. Is there anything I can do? Any way that you'll forgive me?"

Ukyo got a gleam in her eye. "Yes," she replied sweetly. "You can ... _hold still_!" Her foot lashed out in a kick, trying to take Ranma's head off. However, he ducked under it, and also dodged her followup punches.

As she lashed out futilely, Ukyo was shouting. "When you abandoned me, you made it _impossible_ for me to ever again embrace my own femininity! Since that dark day, I've sworn that I will never love another man!"

Tired of dodging, especially since Ukyo _didn't_ seem to be tiring, Ranma thought of something else to try. Without warning, Ranma was in Ukyo's face, and she screamed and closed her eyes as she saw his fist coming at her, too late to block or dodge it. A few seconds later, still unharmed, Ukyo cracked open one eye to see a piece of paper being held up in front of her.

She opened her other eye, took the paper and read, "Seems like a waste. You're a pretty cute girl, when you don't pretend to be a boy. Too bad you'll never let any guy see it."

The paper slipped from nerveless fingers as Ukyo stared blankly into the distance, muttering, "Cyuh ... cyuh ... cyuh ..."

While Ukyo gave her impression of a scratched record, Akane reached down and picked up the sheet of paper. After reading it, she turned to regard Ranma with a lifted eyebrow and a medium intensity glare. "Ranmaaa ..." Akane's voice carried a low growl that brought Ranma up on his toes, sensing danger. "You're not _supposed_ to notice that other girls are cute. At least, you're not supposed to _say_ so!"

Ukyo found her tongue again, and went into immediate denial. Turning her face to the side, blushing, her hand shot out to shove Ranma away. For the first time he failed to dodge her, landing hard on his posterior. Ukyo proclaimed, "You're lying! I'm not cute! No one would want me!"

Ranma made a quick sign from his position on the floor. Akane felt obliged to translate. "Ranma says that you're wrong." With a sigh, Akane added her own opinion. "He's right, you know. Once you stop acting like a boy, you make a very nice girl. There's no reason to give up on guys completely just because you were disappointed once."

Ukyo stood there, dumbfounded, unsure what to say or even what to think. For ten years, her life had revolved around thoughts of revenge. She had been convinced that she would never marry, that Ranma had left her because she wasn't pretty enough or attractive enough. Now Ranma had told her that she was cute, and this other girl had even confirmed it. Her dreams of revenge had been shattered. She was unable to land a blow on Ranma, let alone do all of the damage she had planned. What was left to her?

She looked at Ranma, who had climbed back to his feet and was looking back at her, concern clear in his eyes. He was obviously a superb martial artist, strong, handsome ... He cared about her. He thought she was cute. He thought it was a waste for her to give up on love.

She was unable to obtain her revenge.

So what about carrying out the engagement instead?

After all, both Ranma and this Akane admitted that the original engagement between themselves had been called off. If Ranma were to marry herself, then there would be no need for revenge. It would certainly show up those girls in her hometown who had whispered that Ukyo would never get a man. The fact that Ranma, Ranchan, was such an appealing specimen was icing on the cake. Really, it seemed just about perfect!

"Okay, Ranchan." Ukyo essayed a small smile, and was pleased to see Ranma return the smile. "I'll forgive you for running out on me." She walked over and opened the door, stepping through it. She turned back and gave him a large, sunny smile. "I'll go and start making plans, shall I? Now that our engagement is back on, there's just so much to do!" The door shut behind her.

Akane and Ranma stared at the closed door for several seconds, before Akane shouted, "What?!" Ranma leaped for the door, but tripped over a volleyball. He crashed to the floor, dragging the bin full of balls over with him, blocking the door and spilling balls everywhere. Akane shook her head in disgust and jumped through the hole in the roof. Unfortunately, Ukyo was nowhere in sight.

* * *

‹So much to do,› Ukyo was thinking to herself. ‹We'll need someplace to live. Wandering around with a portable grill just won't do. I'll call father's friends right away, see if they can help me find a suitable restaurant to take over. Something with an attached apartment.›

Her mind got lost for a moment in a fantasy of being alone with Ranchan in said apartment, before she shook herself free of it. ‹Focus girl. How long an engagement? Not too long.› She couldn't suppress a giggle. ‹But not too short either. Must be proper. I need to find someone to teach me sign language. It wouldn't be right if I couldn't talk to my husband on our wedding night. Oooh!› She saw people turning to stare at her blushing cheeks, and tried again to rein in her thoughts.

‹Now what about ... my father-in-law? Hmmph. Let the jackass rot in jail for the time being. If we let him out too soon, he'll find some way to screw things up. Besides, Ranchan ran away from the old fart. He might prefer to leave his father right where he is.›

Ukyo continued down the street, her steps light, cheerfully making plans.

* * *

Akane and Ranma were walking together down a different street from the one Ukyo was on, and they were much less cheerful than the okonomiyaki chef. Akane was _not_ happy with this latest development and she had let Ranma know of her feelings in no uncertain terms. He in turn was trying to think of some way to repair the damage. So far he had resisted his impulse to babble incoherently - insofar as hands can babble. He had remembered his promise to himself to try to think before speaking. The walk home was turning out to be very tense.

Still, Ranma wanted to try to sort this out before they got home. As they were passing the park he reached over and touched his fingertips on Akane's shoulder. She gave him an unhappy look, which he returned with a weak smile, a nod toward the park, and the hand signs for "Follow the leader."

Akane stood rooted to the spot for a moment as Ranma leaped across the street and atop the wall surrounding the park. From there he jumped into one of the trees. Snorting, Akane followed him, jumping onto the wall and into the tree. From there she followed him deeper into the park and higher into the trees. She was a little worried about her skirt given the aerial maneuvers, but for the most part the leaves hid her from sight below.

They ended up near the top of a very tall and leafy tree, completely hidden from the sight of people passing by underneath them, but with a nice view of the taller buildings out beyond the park's boundaries. They sat down beside the trunk on two neighboring branches, their knees nearly touching.

Ranma began signing, slowly. "I'm sorry about Ucchan ... Ukyo. I didn't mean for things to turn out that way. I'll try to find her and explain that she and I are not engaged."

"If she'll listen," Akane remarked bitterly. "She seemed pretty determined. Think about it, she's been obsessing over you for the last ten years. I don't think she's going to simply ... let go."

"It doesn't matter," Ranma signed. "Whether she likes it or not, my father had no right to promise me to her. Even if she won't listen, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to marry anyone I don't want to, no matter what my pop promised. I don't care for Ukyo in that way."

He sighed, then reached out to touch his fingertips gently to the back of Akane's hand, a touch which she permitted. He pulled his hand back and signed, "There's only one girl I feel that way about. You're my friend. My partner. The one who rescued me. The one who held my hand on my first visit to my therapist. The one who gave me the strength to fight my nightmares. The one who held me while I cried."

Akane's eyes were growing moist. Ranma decided he was on the right track, but told himself to be careful. "Ukyo ... she was my friend when we were children. You're my friend now. A lot more than a friend. It would be nice if Ukyo could be my friend again. But not if the price is losing you."

A tear escaped Akane's eye and slid down her cheek, but she was smiling. She reached over and brushed her fingertips along Ranma's cheek. "I don't want to lose you either," she whispered.

Motioning Ranma to stay seated, Akane got up then stepped over to his branch and gently lowered herself until she was sitting in his lap. She put her arms around his neck and leaned her cheek on his shoulder. "Thanks, Ranma. We'll both go see Ukyo. You'll need my help to try to explain to her. We need to try to let her down gently."

They sat that way quietly for a time, feeling peaceful and secluded. A breeze was blowing through the treetops, and the sky gradually darkened. Akane looked up into Ranma's eyes and told him, just a little breathlessly, "I was, um, thinking that, after our date Friday ... Well, after all, we've gone out on several dates now." She licked her lips. "I was thinking that maybe you could, we could ... kiss."

Ranma's eyes widened slightly, and his face took on a hue to match the blush creeping across Akane's face.

Akane's voice dropped to a barely breathed whisper. "If ... if you want to ... we ... uh ... don't have to wait, for Friday."

The tip of Ranma's tongue poked out of his mouth, licking his lips nervously. After a moment, when it was clear that she really meant it, his mouth curved up a small amount, and he gave a tiny nod. His face leaned forward, eyes closing, and Akane allowed her own eyes to close as well. She felt a pair of lips brush over her nose, and her eyes flew open to see Ranma's eyes right in front of hers, looking highly embarrassed. With steely determination, however, he corrected his aim and pressed his lips to hers.

Akane wanted the moment to go on forever, but it only lasted a few seconds. Unable to meet his eyes under the intensity of emotions crashing through her, Akane leaned her cheek against his shoulder again. Her eyes closed, as she replayed the kiss in her mind over and over, wondering how she could deserve to be so lucky.

She felt something wet touch her cheek and her first startled thought was to ask herself why Ranma was crying. As she looked up, another drop struck, and she saw that Ranma was looking up at the sky. Following his gaze, she saw that the growing darkness was not the coming of evening but was instead due to the thick gray clouds which had moved in. Within seconds, sheets of rain were cascading across them, and Akane was now sitting in the lap of a buxom red-haired girl.

"Let's go, Ranma," Akane said happily. Smiling and taking each other's hand, they leaped together from branch to branch down to the ground. From there they sprinted side by side for home.

* * *

The next day, Akane and Ranma took Ukyo aside at lunch to try to explain the situation. "Ukyo, I'm afraid you may have gotten the wrong idea yesterday," Akane began. "Ranma doesn't accept _either_ of the engagements his father tried to make for him."

"Akane, isn't it?" Ukyo asked. "You really shouldn't go and try to put words in Ranchan's mouth. I'm sure he'll do the honorable thing and fulfill his father's promise. The fact that your father released him from the other engagement just makes it easier for him."

Ranma shook his head in frustration. Akane told the other girl, "I'm not saying anything Ranma wouldn't say for himself if he could speak. He was trying to be nice to you, not to declare any intention to _marry_ you. The truth is ... he and I ... well, we're sort of ... seeing each other."

Ukyo's eyes narrowed. When she spoke, there was a hissing quality to her voice. "I thought you said your father released you from the engagement."

"He did!" Akane was looking frustrated now too. "But Ranma and I, well, we found we ... like each other. There's no talk of marriage, but ..." She let her voice trail off, hoping the point was made.

"Look, Tendo-san," Ukyo said grimly. "I don't know what your game is, but you better stop trying to get in between Ranchan and me. You heard him, er, saw him. Whatever! He thinks I'm cute! We're engaged. You've admitted that you aren't. He and I are going to get married, and if you keep this up, you're just going to get yourself hurt."

While Akane stared at her open-mouthed, Ukyo turned to Ranma and said, "I'll talk to you later, Ranchan. I have to leave school early to take care of some details about the restaurant I'm going to open. Once I've signed the lease, you and I can move in there together." She turned and swept out of the classroom they were in.

"That didn't go so well," Ranma signed.

* * *

On Friday night, Ukyo stormed into the Mexican restaurant where Akane and Ranma were eating. Lightning flashed in her eyes as she brandished her brand new battle spatula. "Listen, you little hussy. I've warned you for the last time. Stay away from my fiancé!"

She swung the spatula down at Akane, who leaped over the blade, allowing it to splinter the chair in which she had been sitting. Ranma jumped up to try to grab the weapon, but had to knock aside several smaller spatulas which were flung in his direction.

"Ranma, this is my fight!" Akane yelled. "Stay out of it!" Turning back to Ukyo, she grated, "You need to open your eyes, Kuonji-san. But in the meantime, what do you say we take this out of here?"

Akane ran for the door with Ukyo following closely behind. Shaking his head miserably, Ranma paid for the half finished meal and gave the manager a piece of paper with a name to contact in regard to the cost of replacing the chair. He was amused to see the manager's face pale upon looking at the paper and seeing the name 'Nabiki Tendo.'

Ranma ran outside and cast his senses around. Jumping up to the roof, he spotted Akane on a roof a couple of buildings over. He quickly joined her. On arriving, he found Ukyo lying against a roof vent, unconscious.

"Any trouble?" Ranma signed. "Did she hurt you?"

Akane shook her head. "No. And I tried not to hurt her. Not more than I had to, anyway. I just wish she'd get a clue."

Once again Akane felt drops landing on her face and arms, and looked up to see rain falling from the sky. Ranma changed forms, and Ukyo started to rouse. "You know," Akane spoke thoughtfully, "we ought to rent you out to farmers. You could go out and stand in their fields whenever they need some rain."

Ukyo blinked open her eyes, figuring out after a few seconds that it was raining. She lifted a hand and gingerly probed the small lump on the side of her head. She gritted her teeth in self loathing. Ten years of training for her revenge, and not only couldn't she take Ranma, she also lost to the girl who was trying to steal him from her.

Ukyo looked up to see an unfamiliar girl standing beside Akane. This confused her considerably, as she wondered what the other girl was doing on the roof with them. "Who are _you_?" she demanded, in no mood to be polite.

Akane sighed. "I know this is going to be hard to understand, but she's Ranma."

Ukyo snapped, "Cut the crap! She's obviously female! Now who is she?"

Ranma started making signs with his hands which, if Ukyo had understood them, would have said, "It really is me." However, even if she didn't understand the signs, the gestures struck a note of familiarity to the ones she had seen Ranma making for the last few days. The pigtail also brought a sense of recognition. A little more slowly, Ukyo realized that the girl was wearing the same clothes she had seen on Ranma in the restaurant.

"It's ... it's not possible," Ukyo stated, without conviction. "Stop kidding around! What's going on?"

"It really is Ranma," Akane said sympathetically. "He has a curse. Whenever he gets wet, with cold water, he turns into a girl."

"That's impossible!"

Akane shrugged. "It's still true. Hot water changes him back to his real body. He became a girl just before you woke up, when it started raining."

Ukyo didn't want to believe this, but was getting the spooky feeling that they were telling her the truth. "You have to show me," she declared harshly, "and if you're lying ..." Climbing to her feet, Ukyo headed for the edge of the roof. "Follow me. My restaurant is just a couple of blocks from here."

When they arrived at their destination, Akane and Ranma saw that the sign above the door proclaimed the name to be "Ucchan's." Ukyo pulled out a key and let them in. The place seemed to be just about ready to open. The okonomiyaki counter was already in place. Tables and chairs filled the dining area. Ukyo confirmed the appearance by telling them, "The freezer's being hooked up tomorrow morning, and the final deliveries are coming in the afternoon. The grand opening will be on Sunday."

Ukyo led them into the back, where she quickly filled a cup with hot water. She handed it to Ranma and waited expectantly, her stomach writhing nervously inside of her. Seeing no reason to delay, Ranma lifted the cup over his head and poured. Instantly he was male once more. Ukyo reached a hand out to steady herself on the edge of the sink, trying not to faint.

In a voice which sounded to her own ears like it was wandering lost in the woods, Ukyo said, "I ... need to think about this ... Ranchan. I'll ... talk to you ... tomorrow." Not really seeing anything, she walked the other two to the door and let them out.

‹My fiancé turns into a girl!› Ukyo thought to herself. She giggled helplessly. ‹I dress like a boy, and my fiancé turns into a girl!›

* * *

On Saturday morning, Ukyo showed up at the Tendo home at breakfast. She said that she needed to convince herself that she hadn't been dreaming the night before. Arming herself with a pitcher and a kettle, she proceeded to change Ranma's gender back and forth several times. He put up with it in a good-natured manner until Ukyo giggled and proclaimed, "This is fun no matter _how_ many times I do it!" Then he stood up and marched off.

Ukyo tried to follow him, but Ranma stopped at the bottom of the stairs and crossed his arms. "So what if you have a curse, Ranchan? I promise that I'll marry you anyway." With a grimace Ranma took her by the arm and led her to the front door. With a huff Ukyo told him, "Well, I have to go anyway. The guy is due to arrive soon about the freezer. But you _are_ going to marry me! You'd better be clear about that!"

She turned and strode away. Ranma stared after her, wondering how he was going to put a stop to this.

When Ryoga came over later that afternoon, Ranma and Akane found they received surprisingly little sympathy from him.

"So, you've got a girl chasing you around, insisting that she's going to marry you?" Ryoga chuckled. "Hell, fair's fair. I've got that crazy gymnast Kodachi chasing me, swearing the same thing. I'll bet your chef doesn't try to use paralysis gas and other drugs on you. Count your blessings."

That night, preparing for bed, Akane stared at her face in the mirror while brushing her hair. There was a knot of worry in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away. She told herself that she _knew_ Ranma had no intention of marrying Ukyo, or breaking up with herself, but she couldn't help but feel threatened by the other girl's persistence. No matter how many times Ranma reassured her, it just didn't seem to be enough.

Akane slowly pulled on her pajamas, facing her bed. She smiled as she remembered all of the times that Ranma had slept beside her in that bed. Always as a girl, of course. That triggered the memory of the night they had spent together in the tent, during the training trip. It had been very comforting to sleep beside Ranma that night. She had missed the warm presence of her friend beside her during the night. She thought about how he had been her friend before becoming her boyfriend.

The more Akane reflected on these memories, the more she wished that it were possible to reclaim that comfort. Of course, Kasumi would never permit such an improper arrangement, now that Ranma no longer needed it. On the other hand, a troublemaking little corner of her mind suggested, even Kasumi slept a little bit later on Sunday mornings.

Akane valiantly fought against the temptation. Or at least told herself that she was fighting it. She turned off the light and crawled into bed, then lay there thinking about Ranma in his room just down the hall. It was no use, Akane told herself. She was all wound up, worrying about Ukyo trying to come between her and Ranma. She wanted to be comforted, to be held while she went to sleep. Hesitantly, she slipped back out from under the covers.

Quietly Akane opened her bedroom door and crept down the hall. Opening Ranma's door just as quietly, she slipped inside, then closed the door again. Ranma turned the light on, wondering what it was that Akane wanted.

"Ranma?" Akane whispered. "I was wondering ..." She paused, unsure how to ask for what she wanted. Eventually she asked, "Do you ... remember that night in the tent? When you slept beside me?"

Ranma nodded.

"It was ... I missed that. I miss having you beside me at night. It felt ... nice, to know you were there. I know that you're my ... boyfriend ... now, and we really shouldn't do things like that. But ... I miss having my best girl friend spend the night with me, from time to time."

Ranma looked Akane in the eyes, trying to understand what she wasn't saying in addition to the words she spoke. It wasn't something he was usually very good at, but it wasn't too hard to guess that the situation with Ukyo was worrying her. He raised his hands and signed, "Kasumi and your father won't like it. What if we get caught?"

"I ... yeah ... we'd be taking a chance. But I think we can get away with it. Everyone sleeps later Sunday morning. If you came and left through my window, so nobody heard you in the hall, and made sure to come back here early enough ... I think we'd be okay."

Ranma sat and thought about it for a long time, while Akane chewed her lip nervously. The truth was, he missed those nights too. There wasn't any strong sexual desire to it, aside from the normal undercurrent he was coming to recognize whenever he thought about Akane. He just missed having her there beside him through the night.

‹We're probably going to regret this,› Ranma thought to himself. He smiled at Akane, stood up, and went over to the table where he had a glass of water in case he got thirsty during the night. Akane smiled happily as he lifted it and poured it over his head. She jumped up and went back out into the hall, shutting the door quietly again.

Ranma went over to his window which was already open, since the September night was muggy. He slipped out and leaped up onto the roof. Walking as quietly as he could, he was over Akane's room in seconds. Ranma leaned over the eave to check if her window was open, saw that it was, and swung himself down and inside. Akane smiled at him again, gave him a quick hug, and they climbed into the bed together. Ranma wrapped his arms around Akane, and they settled down to go to sleep.

Down the hall, Kasumi stared at her ceiling and sighed. ‹You two really shouldn't be doing this, little sister. The question is, should I stop it? Or just keep an eye on you?›

* * *

With as much stealth as she could possibly manage, Ukyo jumped up onto the sill of the window. She had no intention of actually _doing_ anything with Ranchan, or so she told herself. But she needed to make it clear to him that _she_ was his fiancée. And if that hussy should just happen to walk in on the two of them tomorrow morning, sleeping together in the same futon, well Akane Tendo might get the message as well.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the only slightly darker interior of the room. Ukyo saw in annoyance that the futon was empty. ‹Is he in the bathroom or something? Guess I'd better check.›

Moving as quietly as possible, Ukyo quickly determined that Ranma wasn't anyplace obvious. She then started checking less obvious places. Confronting a nameplate bearing Akane's name, telling herself that there was just no _way_, she eased the door open.

There were two figures in the bed. One of them had a pigtail.

Ukyo nearly went supernova on the spot. She was never sure afterward how she managed to contain the blast of emotion which erupted within her. But once she had, she acknowledged to herself that charging into the room screaming wasn't going to do any good. Her Ranchan would just get angry with her in turn, and they'd fight. That wouldn't bring him back to her side.

No, she needed another plan entirely.

Ukyo quietly closed the door, went back to the window in Ranma's room, and jumped to the ground outside. As she jumped over the wall and returned to her restaurant, she was seething. She'd show them! She'd find a way to force Ranma to acknowledge their engagement! Something that would convince him to marry her!

* * *

Genma walked down the hall to the visitor's area feeling just a little worried. No one had told him who had come to see him. If it was Ranma, that would be no problem. Ranma had bailed him out of jail before. If his wife had found him ... Genma shuddered, praying that was not the case.

It was infuriating the way the police were dragging their feet over his case. He hadn't even been allowed to speak to a lawyer yet! It wasn't as if any of the alleged crimes for which they were holding him were particularly serious. Genma sighed in resignation. Most likely he, or possibly even the master, had managed to offend one of the officials here at some point in the past.

His eyebrows arched helplessly upward when he walked into the room and saw Ukyo Kuonji sitting at the table. She was wearing her hair loose, except for a ribbon at the back, which made her identity as a girl a little less obscure. Even so, you had to look twice to spot it, given the clothing she favored.

Seating himself, Genma growled, "What are you doing here, Kuonji? Isn't it enough that you got me arrested?"

Ukyo smiled at the lack of a bandanna, displaying the weird ears for everyone to see. However, this was not the time to indulge her amusement. "I have a proposition for you, Saotome-san. Which includes dropping the charges against you."

Genma leaned back, crossing his arms. "I'm listening," he told her, still scowling.

In a lofty tone, Ukyo told the man, "I've located your son Ranma, but I've decided not to kill him."

"What you mean is, you weren't able to lay a finger on him," Genma responded.

Ukyo gritted her teeth. "Instead, I've decided to let bygones be bygones. He told me himself that he thinks I'm cute, that any guy would want me. So now we're engaged again. Isn't that great?"

Genma found that he was sweating. He had never meant to go through with the engagement between Ranma and Ukyo. That was just a scheme to get hold of her father's okonomiyaki cart. If Ranma married this girl, then the plans to unite the Tendo and Saotome schools through marriage were finished.

Gruffly, Genma suggested, "There's a small problem with that idea."

Ukyo smiled sweetly. "If you're talking about the previous arrangement for Ranchan to marry Akane Tendo, that agreement has already been set aside. By none other than her father, Soun Tendo. Not to mention that you chose to ignore it ten years ago. So it's not really a problem."

Genma, sweating harder, felt betrayed. How could Tendo have set aside their agreement so casually? The boy _had_ to get married soon, before his mother Nodoka found them. But if Tendo wasn't going to cooperate ... "You said you had a proposition?" he inquired.

Ukyo's smile broadened. "Yes. I'll drop the charges and pay your bail. If you go along with me on this, you'll be eating at my restaurant free for the rest of your life."

Ukyo chuckled internally as she congratulated herself on correctly predicting Genma's reaction to that. The man was already salivating, and leaning forward in his chair. She continued speaking. "Now here's what I want you to do in return. ..."

* * *

Another week had come and gone. On Friday, when Akane and Ranma confessed to Mitaka that they had shared a bed the previous Saturday night, and intended to continue doing so each Saturday, she suggested that this might not be the wisest decision on their part. However, she avoided pressing them too hard out of fear that they might continue to do so anyway, and simply not tell her about it. Instead she offered them a couple of pieces of advice in that regard, to which they appeared to listen seriously.

Ukyo knew that Ranchan went out on a date with Akane that same Friday night, but made no move to interfere. All week long she had been quietly ignoring the way they acted. It had become increasingly difficult as all of the other students insisted on treating them as a couple. Ukyo focused her concentration on the preparations she was making.

She had Genma's full cooperation in those preparations. He had made quiet inquiries without revealing his presence, going so far as to make a telephone call to his old friend Tendo while pretending to be a distant relative. It had been confirmed that Soun had no intention of forcing one of his daughters to marry Ranma.

A letter arrived at the Tendo house on Saturday, inviting Ranma to come over to Ucchan's Restaurant on Sunday afternoon. It specified that Ranma should dress in a formal kimono, giving the impression that Ukyo was planning some sort of elaborate tea ceremony. Ranma and the Tendo's discussed this, arriving at the conclusion that Ukyo intended this as a way of acknowledging what Ranma had been telling her and clearing the air between them.

Thus Sunday afternoon found Akane and Ranma standing in front of the restaurant, which had a "Closed" sign in the window. They were both dressed in kimono, looking immaculate, and Akane had taken a great deal of trouble with her makeup. She even had a yellow flower pinned in her hair.

A bearded man whom Ranma did not recognize came to the door and let them in, beaming happily. He led them through the back and up the stairs to the apartment above the restaurant. As the man reached the door at the top of the stairs, he called, "Your fiancé is here, daughter!"

The notion that this man was Ukyo's father startled Akane and Ranma so much that they almost missed the reference to Ranma as Ukyo's fiancé. The small group stepped into the room, and the trailing pair froze in shock.

The walls of the room were covered in elaborate decorations.

Ukyo was kneeling seiza on the other side of a small table, wearing what was clearly a wedding kimono. All of the necessities for a Shinto wedding ceremony were on the table before her.

A Shinto priest was standing beside her, smiling benignly.

Another man was standing in the room, somewhat stout, with shocking eyebrows, and a bandanna that stood out from his head curiously. For Akane, his appearance was a little strange, but her eyes passed over him quickly to lock on Ukyo.

Ranma's eyes however were locked on Genma Saotome. His father. The man he had not seen since May. The man whose behavior he had complained, raged and wept about to Mitaka-sensei and Akane both. The man whose memory he thought he had been coming to terms with. The wash of emotions sweeping through Ranma revealed this belief to be a lie. Akane gasped as Ranma squeezed her hand painfully, and she looked where Ranma was staring. At the stout man.

"Well boy, it's been a long time," Genma said heartily. "I have a bone or two to pick with you about the way you left me, but not today. Today is a time for happiness! You're getting married! Congratulations!"

Ukyo smiled as she took in the changing expressions on Akane's face, watching the other girl arrive at the conclusion that this was Ranma's father. ‹Check and mate!› Ukyo chortled to herself. ‹He's mine now! All mine!›

Growing impatient with his son's stare, Genma strode over intending to grab Ranma's arm and propel him in Ukyo's direction. "Come, boy! It's time to ... urk!"

He landed against a wall, upside-down.

A small frown line creased Ukyo's forehead. "Ranchan, be careful! You don't want to ruin our wedding!"

Akane watched Ranma's face, worried and sad, wondering what was going on behind his eyes. She did not greatly fear that he would go through with this farce of a ceremony, though she was firmly suppressing her anger at Ukyo. Instead she was worried about how he would react, and whether this would inflict new damage on his barely healed psyche. With growing concern, Akane saw that he was holding himself so tensely that his arms were trembling, and his hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists.

There were so many emotions filling Ranma that he felt himself overflowing, sure that the others must see the emotions boiling out of him like some dark cloud. He hardly knew which one to latch onto first. Rage, pain, depression, sorrow, hatred, loss. The young man wanted desperately to scream, and the pain was all the greater for this outlet being denied to him.

The greatest pain of all was the knowledge that he was being forced again. Someone was trying to make him feel helpless, trying to force him to give in to their desires. Someone he had thought to be a friend. An internal howl of hurt and fury swept through his soul.

Ranma felt his senses try to sharpen. Grimly he pushed back, forcing the cat to remain buried, though not very deeply. No, he did not need the neko-ken for this.

Ranma moved forward, the aura of menace around him so strong that Ukyo rose to her feet, and both she and the priest took a step backward. On reaching the table, Ranma swept his hand down, the edge of his hand forming a knife. The table fell apart into two halves along a clean break. Sake spilled. Bowls and other implements dropped to the floor where the bowls shattered. Everyone's eyes other than Akane's widened in shock. When Ranma turned his regard on Ukyo, she saw deep pools of terrifying unhappiness in his eyes.

Genma had managed to climb back to his feet. He was growing angry himself, displeased by his son's rebellious attitude. On the other hand, the aura he felt from the boy was ... troubling. It reminded him of something, some memory of danger. He decided that a degree of prudence might be called for, an attempt to use words before fists. "Now listen here, y' ungrateful boy. You're gonna do what I tell you to do. And what I'm tellin' you to do is to kneel on that floor there, and marry your fiancée Ukyo."

Ranma spun and directed a blazing glare at his father, standing there as if he had walked out of one of the boy's nightmares. Ranma's hands were clenching and unclenching, as he fought desperately to keep his fury under control. His teeth were grinding loudly in his mouth. And in his mind, a dam was crumbling, releasing a raging flood of emotion.

Everyone in the room heard a whisper. So quiet that it was amazing they all clearly understood what was said. So cold that ice condensed around the words and froze them. "No ... I ... will ... not!"

It took several endless seconds for Akane to understand, as she looked around naively wondering who had spoken. It was only as her mind replayed the image of his mouth moving that it struck Akane like a thunderbolt that she had just heard Ranma's voice for the very first time. Heedless of everything else which had occurred in the room so far, Akane squealed, "You're cured!" She leaped over to Ranma in one bound, encompassing him in a crushing hug. Everyone else stared at them, and Ukyo let out a loud growl of warning.

The young chef reached around, and pulled her battle spatula out from behind a wall hanging. "Get your hands off my fiancé, bitch!" she snapped. She swung the spatula with the intent to smash Akane aside.

The spatula came to an impossible halt when Ranma reached out and grabbed it, its kinetic energy transferring back to Ukyo, who stumbled and fell. He rolled the weapon up into a softball-sized lump of metal, his eyes never leaving his childhood friend, the look in them pinning her where she lay. Ukyo looked up at Ranma in turn, with fear in her eyes, and an agonized cry of "Why?" on her lips.

Genma was becoming very worried, seeing the promise of a lifetime of free meals evaporating before his eyes. He was concerned about the feeling he was getting from his son, but decided that action was called for. Besides, the boy was momentarily distracted. The middle-aged man leaped forward to strike Ranma unconscious, and thereby render him more tractable.

Everyone winced at the sound of shattering glass as Genma Saotome disappeared through a window.

The elderly priest cleared his throat. "It, ah, seems clear to me that the groom, er, prospective groom, is not willing to go through with the ceremony. I'll, uh, just be on my way." He quickly left the room by the door.

Ukyo's father had had enough. Pulling out his own battle spatula, he charged Ranma. Seconds later he was lying on top of Genma on the street below, the metal ball which used to be his weapon bouncing across the asphalt nearby.

Ranma turned to look at Ukyo once more. Akane was still holding his arm, unsure whether to be ecstatic about Ranma speaking, or deeply unhappy about what had been attempted. She chose to remain quiet, and let Ranma handle matters.

"Ukyo," Ranma whispered. As he spoke, the words came slowly and sounded rusty, as of a machine after a long period of disuse. "Do you want to know how I lost my voice?"

Ukyo couldn't move. Couldn't answer. She had no idea how to deal with this being into whom her Ranchan had transformed.

"You remember that I change into a girl, right? After I arrived in Nerima, I was injured. Three men tried to rape me. Akane arrived just in time to save me."

Ukyo looked like a flower dipped in liquid nitrogen. Frozen, and likely to shatter at a touch.

The slow words continued, relentless, forcing themselves into the girl's ears. "I couldn't call for help, and afterward I couldn't speak at all. I was helpless, and I hated it. They tried to take something from me by force, and I hated them."

Ranma gave her a piercing look. Ukyo felt as if it were her heart that was pierced by the look.

"You tried to trap me today Ukyo. You tried to tie my hands. You wanted to make me do something against my will." His next whispered sentence, when it came, was filled with more bitterness than Ukyo had ever heard in one place. "Do you have any idea how it makes me feel, to know that my old _friend_ would do something like that?"

Ukyo tried to look away from the tear which rolled slowly down Ranma's cheek. Tried, but utterly failed. Heart tearing within her, she watched as Ranma hugged Akane tightly, burying his face in her hair. Together the two of them turned and walked over to the door.

Just before stepping out of the room, Ranma turned back one last time. He whispered, "If you ever decide you can live with just being friends, let me know. But you'd best never again say the word 'engagement' in my hearing. I won't cut you any more slack." With that, the couple vanished through the doorway.

Ukyo slowly collapsed to her knees. She lifted a single flower off of the floor, staring down without seeing it.

* * *

Reactions at the Tendo home were mixed. Outrage over the attempted marriage conflicted with joy over Ranma's recovery of his speech. Kasumi decided to prepare a special dinner to celebrate the latter. Soun went off by himself to think, wondering how to handle the return of his old friend.

The front bell rang as dinner was winding down. Kasumi disappeared, only to return a minute later leading Genma Saotome. The man, dressed in a faded gi, regarded his son warily. He then gave Soun a smile and called in a loud voice, "Tendo! It's great to see you again!"

Soun looked nervous. "Uh, yes, Saotome. It's good to see you also. Ranma-kun has, er, been telling us quite a lot. I ..." Soun hesitated, looking puzzled. "What the devil is wrong with your head?"

Ranma was also staring at his father. There hadn't been time at Ucchan's to wonder about the man's appearance, but now curiosity finally won out over the other emotions. Quietly he asked, "Yeah pop. What's with the eyebrows? And what do you have under that bandanna?"

"Do you really turn into a panda bear?" Nabiki asked mischievously. She lifted a glass of water and threw it over the man.

Ranma stared in shock as there was no change. "You're cured pop? How?"

Genma grimaced, seeing no way out of explaining. "Not ... exactly. Y'see, when you went missing boy, I figured you headed back to Jusenkyo. So that's where I went. While I was there I found a pool called the 'Spring of Drowned Man'."

He shrugged. "I figured I'd be cured if the curse 'changed' me into a man with cold water. I dove in. I was a panda bear at the time."

Ranma smirked. "Lemme guess. Because you were a panda bear when you got the new curse, hot water turns you into a panda."

Genma winced. "Sort of. The curses also mixed, just a bit. That's the reason for ..." He waved his hand in the vicinity of his eyes. "Also ..." Genma pulled the bandanna off of his head. His audience stared in shock for a moment at the white fur and large black ears, before everyone broke down in laughter.

Wiping her tearing eyes, Nabiki said, "I have to see the rest of this." In what was almost a replay of her previous action, she grabbed a cup of hot tea and flung it over Ranma's father.

Everyone stared dumbfounded. He was a bear, all right. He might have even been a panda bear. It was rather hard to tell, since he was completely bald from head to foot. The bear lumbered over to the table, growling, where he picked up another glass of water and poured it on himself. The embarrassed man hastily rearranged his gi.

In a way, the comical nature of his father's problems helped Ranma. He didn't really want to hate the old man, but he knew they had a lot of issues which they still needed to work through. Beyond that, the man's simple presence grated against the scabs on his spirit. Ranma knew he wouldn't be able to tolerate his pop for long.

Trying to ignore his embarrassment, Genma spoke gruffly, "So Tendo! Has Ranma picked one of your daughters to marry yet!" This was answered by a ringing silence around the table.

Soun broke the silence with a nervous laugh. As his laughs echoed in the otherwise stony silence, he stopped himself and sighed. The Tendo patriarch looked up with a bleak expression. "No, Saotome. I've given Ranma and my daughters my word that they won't be forced to marry." The bleak expression did lighten, however, as Soun remembered that Ranma was nonetheless dating Akane.

"Nonsense, Tendo," Genma laughed. "I'm sure it won't take long for you and I to convince them to do what's right. So which one of them d'you think he should marry?"

Ranma and Akane both snarled. Soun shook his head. Over the last few months the Tendo father had watched Ranma slowly heal. He had also watched, breathlessly and with rising hope, as the boy and Akane gradually grew closer until they were now at the point of considering themselves to be a couple. The way that things were going, Soun found himself daring to hope that he would not only get his wish, but that his daughter would also be happy.

Now Genma was rocking the boat.

Soun valued his old friendship with Genma. The two men had suffered together under Happosai's tutelage. But Ranma was the future of his dojo, and that was more important.

"I'm sorry, Saotome, but no." Soun took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Back when Ranma was injured, I made a promise to him. I gave him my word of honor. That he would not have to go back to you. I didn't know it was you at the time, but I have no choice." He paused once more, then declared, "Until Ranma decides otherwise, I'm afraid that I can't let you stay here."

Genma stared at Soun in shock. "Tendo, don't be ridiculous!"

Soun hardened his face. "I'm sorry, Saotome. But this is the way it has to be."

Ranma sighed, then rose to his feet. "Come out in the yard with me, pop." Without even looking to see if he was followed, Ranma stepped out through the open door and sat down on a rock beside the koi pond. A moment later, Genma sat beside him.

Ranma spoke quietly. "Too much has happened since we split up, pop. After I left you, I got hurt. Hurt real bad. And I hated you for it." He held up a hand as his father started to protest. "I know it wasn't really your fault, pop. I _know_ it," he repeated, pointing at his head, "but I don't _feel_ it." The finger moved down to point at his chest. His father stared at him, frowning with incomprehension.

Ranma looked away from the man sitting beside him, studying the image of his face in the pond. A face hiding things he couldn't share yet, from a father he knew wouldn't understand. The young man let a hand trail in the water, spreading ripples, obliterating the face. "Deep down inside, I still ain't forgiven you. Doesn't matter if it's fair or not, that's the way it is. I blamed you for a long time. Now, every time I look at you, it makes me remember what happened. And I get angry at you all over again."

The boy snorted over his inability to control his emotions. "I've been seeing a therapist." He watched the reflection of Genma's face in the water as it twisted in disgust, just as he expected, and held up a forestalling hand. "Don't say it pop. Whatever it is you were about to say, I don't wanna hear it. Yeah, I'm seeing a therapist, and you know what? You should be glad. Real glad. Without her help, I might've killed you when I saw you today. If she wasn't helping me, I'd probably never be willing to talk to you again."

"What the hell happened?" his father demanded.

Ranma shook his head. "Sorry pop. I'll probably tell you someday. Not today. If I did, you'd say something stupid about _that_. Then I really would kill you." The boy sighed, and looked up at Genma once more. "I _am_ a lot better now. And I'll keep getting better, but not with you hanging around making it harder. You can't stay, but ... maybe you can visit. We can talk. It's gonna take time." He gave a sad laugh. "Neither of us is very patient, but you're gonna have to learn how."

Genma's voice was filled with frustration, and fear. "Dammit, boy! You _have_ to marry one of Tendo's daughters! As soon as possible!"

Ranma's face hardened. "No pop. I ... will ... _never_ ... again ... do what you want just because you say so. No one is _ever_ gonna force me again! I have claws now, and I'm willing to use 'em when I have to." He deliberately drew his fingertips along the rock, cutting parallel grooves into it.

The older martial artist shuddered, face freezing in a rictus of fear. He recognized that sign of the neko-ken, except that the boy was aware, in control. The meaning of his son's words, the threat they contained, was clear. Genma tried to speak, swallowed heavily, then tried again.

"So you expect me to just leave? Let you do as you please? What about your training?"

"It's been four months since you were around to train me, old man. I seemed to handle you easily enough earlier. I'm training Akane, and she's turning into a pretty good sparring partner. I'm sparring with a guy named Ryoga once a week too, and he works me harder than you did. I'm gonna be all right, pop." Ranma turned his face back to the house. "It's time for you to go."

"What if I refuse?"

"Don't make me throw you over the wall, pop," Ranma replied wearily. "Because I will. I'd rather not embarrass both of us." He stood, and walked back to rejoin the family. _His_ family, as he realized he now thought of them. A short time later he walked his father to the gate, where he watched with a heavy heart as his old man trudged wearily down the street and out of sight.

When he turned to go back in, Ranma found Akane waiting for him just inside the gate. She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips, then wrapped an arm around him as they walked together back into the house.

* * *

Things settled back down. Everyone at school was amazed to find that Ranma could speak again. In hindsight, Mitaka drew the now rather obvious conclusion that Ranma had been unable to recover his voice due to the unresolved feelings he had concerning his father. She suggested that this was why the emotional confrontation with Genma had cured his muteness, and that such a confrontation may even have been necessary to his recovery. Akane and Ranma simply accepted this explanation, not caring much about the why's and wherefore's, simply happy that he could talk again.

Ranma's speech remained soft and slow most of the time, unless he was making a conscious effort otherwise. To a degree he was content for this to be so. He wanted to make sure that he had time to consider his words before letting them escape from his mouth.

Ranma continued to sleep in Akane's bed as a female on Saturday nights, slipping back to his room near dawn on Sunday morning. They behaved themselves, and kept it platonic. Kasumi and Mitaka-sensei were the only ones who knew of this, and Kasumi helped the therapist to monitor the situation so that no harm would come of it. After Akane and Ranma finally figured out that Kasumi knew what they were doing, it actually became easier for them to resist the temptation to do anything inappropriate on those nights.

Ukyo continued to watch Ranma unhappily from her seat in the classroom. She had not yet approached him about the possibility of renewing their friendship, but neither had she made an effort to transfer out of the class or create any kind of scene with him or Akane. The young couple hoped that soon she would be able to come to terms with the situation, so they could all put the past behind them.

Genma found a place to stay nearby. He got a job as a maintenance man for an apartment complex, within which he rented a very small room. He came over to the Tendo house regularly to visit, and he and Ranma gradually began repairing their relationship. Occasionally he'd try to put some pressure on Ranma to marry Akane, but this invariably brought an immediate and painful end to the visit.

* * *

Kuno and Ukyo strode out onto the stage in front of the rest of the cast, drawing their swords and holding them up in the air, tips barely touching. They basked in the applause. Hiroshi came running out underneath their swords, dressed in his friar's outfit, and bowed deeply. The applause increased a notch.

Then Ranma and Akane ran out and underneath the swords, hand in hand. As they bowed, the applause grew thunderous and the audience surged to its feet for Romeo and Juliet. They bowed again, still holding hands, and the applause grew even louder. Yuka, still dressed as the Nurse, ran onstage and handed a bouquet of roses to Ranma. He dropped to one knee and offered them to Akane, whose eyes were shining.

The curtains closed, but the applause continued unabated. After a minute, the curtains opened again for a final bow, revealing Romeo and Juliet locked in another passionate kiss. As the applause threatened to bring down the roof, the two teenagers became aware that they were on display once more. Breaking apart and blushing madly, though unable to stop grinning, they bowed again. The curtains closed for a final time, as Ranma pulled Akane tight to his side once more.

** THE END **

* * *

**Author's note:**

So _The Silent Horse_ has come to an end. I think it may be my favorite of my stories so far, primarily because of the slowly developing relationship between Akane and Ranma which I think turned out pretty well. One point - don't bother asking for a sequel. Their lives go on but the words do not. I've told the story I wanted to tell.

Now I need to warn you that there may be a delay of a few months before you see something else posted by me. Or there may not. It all depends.

I've written first drafts of chapters 5 and 6 of _Side by Side_, but because of interconnectedness issues I feel that I need to write chapter 7 before I go back and edit those three chapters and finally start giving them to my pre-reader. Then, of course, I cannot start posting until I have at least chapter 5 back from my pre-reader and do the necessary rewrite based on her work.

I'm also working on another story which is drawing near the climax, but isn't quite there yet. Titled _Fighting Chance_, so far it is six chapters and forty-eight thousand words. I expect it to be seven or eight chapters when it's done.

So while there may be a slight delay, more _is_ coming. If things work out faster than I expect, there may not even be a significant delay. Or I might add another chapter to _Nerima Journals_ or get inspired to write a quick one-shot. We'll have to wait and see.

At any rate, I'll be looking forward to posting something else soon, and hearing from all of you.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


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